Advanced therapies and treatment options are available today to prevent or treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

The following treatment options, which may be used in combination, are the widely accepted standards of care for SCA:

• Medication to treat abnormal heart rhythms (antiarrhythmic drugs)
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to deliver immediate therapy when dangerously fast heart rhythm occurs. A defibrillator detects abnormally rapid ventricular heart rates, (ventricular tachycardia, or VT); and ventricular fibrillation, or VF) and delivers therapies that return the heart to a more normal rhythm. Implantable defibrillators help tens of thousands of people enjoy full and active lives. These life-saving devices are the front-line defense in the prevention and treatment of SCA.
• Catheter ablation in which one or more flexible, thin tubes (catheters) are introduced under X-ray guidance into the blood vessels and directed to the heart muscle. A burst of radiofrequency energy destroys very small areas of tissue that give rise to abnormal electrical signals. For a small percentage of people, catheter ablation may be the most appropriate course of treatment.

Last Updated on: 20.01.2005