Cincinnati Sub-Zero Medical and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Unite to Address Cardiac Arrest
Cincinnati Sub-Zero Medical joins leaders in cardiac rhythm management to sponsor the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association's education and outreach efforts; Cincinnati Sub-Zero Medical's therapeutic hypothermia solutions help to ensure patient survivability and quality of life post sudden cardiac arrest.
Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) July 22, 2008
Cincinnati Sub-Zero (CSZ) Medical, a division of CSZ Products, Inc. and the leader in the design and development of advanced patient temperature management solutions, today announced its collaborative partnership with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). The SCAA is dedicated to preventing the loss of life from sudden cardiac arrest.
The association aims to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac arrest deaths by 2020 with a combination of information sharing, community awareness, and policy advancement. CSZ hopes to contribute to SCAA's mission by sponsoring the association's efforts and participating in industry thought leadership. Over the past year, the SCAA has built a network of nearly 30 local chapters and affiliates that stretch from Hawaii to Maine. SCAA will host its annual meeting this October, in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Resuscitation Science.
Sudden cardiac arrest contributes to over 300,000 deaths annually in the US. Sudden cardiac arrest (also referred to as 'sudden cardiac death') is a possibly fatal 'arrhythmic' event. Different than a heart attack, where the blood supply to the heart is inhibited, affecting portions of the heart muscle, sudden cardiac arrest is believed to result from a breakdown of normal neurological communication between the brain and heart, producing a rapid, life-threatening heart rhythm that, left untreated, usually is fatal within minutes. Sudden cardiac arrest is swift, generally unexpected, and often poses no advancing warning or symptoms.
With treatment, however, sudden cardiac arrest is survivable. The American Heart Association (AHA) advocates early emergency recognition and therapy access, including cardio pulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, and immediate and ongoing cardiac care. When applied within minutes of an event, certain advanced therapies, including therapeutic hypothermia, are capable of bridging the gap from sudden cardiac arrest to sustained neurological function afterward. By cooling core body temperature following a severe cardiac event, technicians and physicians are able to prevent long-term negative impact on a patient's brain.
The AHA endorsed the use of therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest in 2003. To date, however, not all hospitals and emergency medical service providers have instituted therapeutic hypothermia protocols. The CSZ Whole Body Cooling System is an innovative and increasingly adopted therapeutic hypothermia solution. The system combines the CSZ Kool-Kit™ - a head wrap, patient vest, and lower-body blanket - with the CSZ Blanketrol® III Hypo-Hyperthermia System to deliver maximum temperature control and area coverage.
Responding to the CSZ-SCAA partnership announcement, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Executive Director Chris Chiames said "We are excited about our partnership with Cincinnati Sub-Zero. Hypothermia therapy systems, like those produced by CSZ, are providing significant results in the sudden cardiac arrest recovery process and we have many sudden cardiac arrest survivors who owe their lives and the quality of their lives to physicians and hospitals that recognize the benefits of the technology. However, there still is much to be done to educate policymakers and the broader medical community so that we can make even greater improvements in sudden cardiac arrest survival rates."
CSZ Vice President and CSZ Medical General Manager Mark Beran said, "The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association is likely to turn the tide on sudden cardiac death by uniting key fronts to address the issue. Cincinnati Sub-Zero therapeutic hypothermia solutions are clinically proven to improve neurological outcome post sudden cardiac arrest. Men and women who might not have otherwise survived, or might have been left in a vegetative state, now are achieving functional recovery in a matter of days. Such outcomes pave the way for the application of therapies that improve patient quality of life long term. Our collaboration with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, and its membership, establishes an infinitely valuable continuum of treatment for those affected by sudden cardiac arrest, from event, to survival, to ongoing cardiac rhythm management."
About Cincinnati Sub-Zero and CSZ Medical:
Cincinnati Sub-Zero (CSZ) is a leading manufacturer of temperature management products for medical and industrial markets. CSZ also manages a portfolio of industrial environmental simulation testing chambers, and a first-class, on-site, A2LA-accredited testing laboratory. CSZ Medical, a CSZ division, has delivered patient temperature management systems to healthcare professionals since 1963. The medical line of products, designed with both the patient and caregiver in mind, includes several all-in-one-system heat and cold therapy units as well as an array of warming and cooling blankets for body temperature regulation and hyper-hypothermia treatment. At the forefront of industry innovation and service, CSZ is a co-founder of the Therapeutic Temperature Management (TTM) Congress, an international best-practices consortium of medical community leaders. CSZ is headquartered in Cincinnati and operates globally. Visit www. cszinc. com, www. cszmedical. com, and www. ttmcongress2008.com for more information.
About the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association:
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) is an organization singularly focused on sudden cardiac arrest. SCAA identifies and unites survivors, those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, as well as others who are interested in being advocates on SCAA issues in their communities and beyond. The membership is dedicated to promoting solutions to prevent sudden cardiac death, including increased awareness, immediate bystander action, public access to defibrillation, and access to therapies such as cardiac cooling and implantable cardiac defibrillators. SCAA is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. More information about the association is available at www. suddencardiacarrest. org.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed herein are forward-looking, reflect numerous assumptions, and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any changes in events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
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