Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Addressing Ongoing Challenges in Dealing with Sudden Cardiac Arrest


Cardiologist Sanjiv M. Narayan, MD, PhD, serves as a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University and founder of the Stanford Arrhythmia Center, where he leads a team working on bioengineering techniques to treat cardiac arrhythmias. Formerly a faculty member at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan is a researcher who has published numerous articles in leading peer-reviewed medical journals.

One of the leading causes of heart-related deaths worldwide is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), which only 10 percent of patients survive when it occurs outside of a hospital setting. There has been extensive research into the condition, yet challenges remain. Recently, Dr. Narayan was among a team of researchers to address the hurdles to attacking the SCA epidemic worldwide. This was covered in a recent study by Dr. Narayan in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which discussed SCA, new approaches and the use of artificial intelligence to integrate new technologies in the space. 

One practical way they have identified to improve response involves increased community access to technology such as automated external defibrillators. Additionally, the disease may be better understood by further refining SCA classification and by looking at how pathology and physiology determine how the disease presents and progresses. It is also vital that public leaders, lawmakers, and other stakeholders work together to formulate public health policy to adequately address the epidemic.