Timeline of a Cardiac Arrest

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the UK, with approximately 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening each year. Without immediate treatment, 90-95% of SCA victims die, and for each minute that passes without treatment, the chance of survival decreases by 10%.

You only have a short period of time to act when somebody suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. Here’s what you can expect to happen:

Minute 1 (0-60 seconds)

The person collapses. If they are unresponsive and not breathing, it is likely that they have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Phone the emergency services on 999. The operator will give you step-by-step instructions on how to perform CPR, and they should also tell you where the nearest defibrillator is located.

Begin to perform CPR.

Minute 2 (61-120 seconds)

Early defibrillation is critical for saving the life of someone in Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and the earlier a defibrillator is located and used increases the ultimate chance of survival and recovery.

Without treatment, a person in Sudden Cardiac Arrest loses 10% of their chance of survival for every minute that goes by.

Once the defibrillator pads have been placed on the chest, they begin to analyse the heart rhythm to determine whether a shock is required. The shock will then be delivered if required. The defibrillator will inform you when to continue performing CPR.

Minute 3 (121-180 seconds)

Without treatment by this point, the victim’s chance of survival has decreased by 30%.

Minutes 4 and 5 (181-300 seconds)

Using a defibrillator and effective CPR within this window boosts the victim’s chance of survival from 6% to 74%.

Minute 6 (301-360 seconds)

Without treatment by this point, tissue-death of the heart muscle and the brain will begin to occur, and the chance of survival will have reduced to between 40 and 60%.

Minutes 7 and 8 (361-480 seconds)

Without treatment by this point, the victim’s chances of survival have reduced to between 30 and 20%.

Minutes 9 and 10 (481-600 seconds)

Continue to use the AED and perform CPR until the ambulance service arrives. Without proper treatment by this point, the chance of survival will have now reduced to just 10%.

Minute 11 (601-660 seconds)

11 minutes is the average emergency-services response time in an urban area. If 999 had been called promptly following the SCA, the ambulance should be arriving around this time.

Every second counts when responding to a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Do you have easy access to a life-saving AED? If not, isn’t it about time you corrected that?

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