American Heart Association develops program to increase cardiac arrest survival

The American Heart Association has developed a program to help more people survive cardiac arrest. During a cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating, and unless it is restarted within minutes, the person usually dies. Mission: Lifeline is expanding to include a cardiac resuscitation program to establish and streamline systems of care for response and treatment to improve survival rates. The program will provide public education and support for coordination among the lay public, public health agencies, legislators and city officials with emergency medical services providers and hospitals to improve care for patients with cardiac arrest. Mission: Lifeline was originally launched in 2007 as a program to improve care for people suffering from ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) - the deadliest form of heart attack - or damage to heart muscle caused by a blocked blood supply to the heart. The chain of survival for STEMI spans from what bystanders do to help the stricken person, to the actions of EMS and hospital personnel, to post-hospital care