At least 350 000 people will suffer cardiac arrest each year in
the United States, 1 every 90 seconds.
Many will then undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders and
emergency medical services in a desperate attempt to restore life.
Numerous studies report that the majority of these efforts will
not succeed. Prolonged anoxia, the inability to restore spontaneous circulation, neurological devastation, and other complications combine to limit survival. Nonetheless, thousands will
surmount these obstacles and resume normal lives.