How many people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S.
each year? Document your answer with an online or print source.

Hello dgc-ga,


Thank you for your question.


According to the American Heart Association, 2001 Heart and Stroke
Statistical Update:
 
“Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and dramatically. It’s also sometimes
called sudden cardiac arrest or unexpected cardiac arrest. All known
heart diseases can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death.”
"About 220,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease without
being hospitalized. ……..Most of these are sudden deaths caused by
cardiac arrest. Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack
can cause cardiac arrest. They include respiratory arrest,
electrocution, drowning, choking or trauma. Cardiac arrest can also
occur without any known cause."
American Heart Association Wesite
http://216.185.102.50/statistics/aboutsd_ca.html


In addition, I found an article at the Life Extension Foundation
Website, ”Researchers Find Best Treatment for Cardiac Arrest” where
they state  “Heart disease is one of the number one killers in North
America. More than 25,000 Canadians and over 250,000 Americans suffer
out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year.”
Life Extension Foundation Website
http://www.lef.org/newsarchive/disease/2001/05/10/eng-datamonitor_healthcare/eng-datamonitor_healthcare_120806_251460144627444920.html


In short, between 220,000 and 250,000 Americans experience
out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S. each year according to the
two sources above.


Search terms used:
out-of-hospital cardiac arrest statistics
American Heart Association


I hope this information has been helpful.


Best regards,
Bobbie7-ga

Well done and quickly answered. It didn't get five stars because it is
internally ambiguous and because even its most reliable source, the
AHA, contradicts itself. At
http://216.185.112.5/presenter.jhtml?identifier=604 , the figure
quoted below magically becomes 250,000, not 220,000, and at the
sentence before that one we are told, "No statistics are available for
the exact number of cardiac arrests that occur each year...." So who
knows? However, all this considered, bobbie7-ga did a good job.
Thanks.