Fact sheet.

Number of children with no previous symptoms who die suddenly from cardiac arrest each year: 7,000

Number of students who died from sudden cardiac arrest in New York City schools during a single week in January 2003: 3

U.S. average survival rate, in percent, of victims of sudden cardiac arrest: 7

Survival rate, in percent, of people who experience ventricular fibrillation at Chicago O'Hare Airport, which has one of the first public-access defibrillation programs in the U.S.: 56

Target time interval, in minutes, between the time a person collapses and treatment with a defibrillator: 3

Number of minutes after cardiac arrest before irreversible brain damage usually begins: 4

Time, in hours, needed to learn to perform CPR and use an AED: 4

Approximate list price of an automated external defibrillator: $2,000-$3,000

Number of AEDs placed in Michigan schools through the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation, thanks in part to donations of $80,000 from Michigan lawyers: 160

Amount donated by the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association to the Gregory W. Moyer Defibrillation Fund for placement of AEDs in Philadelphia schools: $100,000

Amount paid by United Airlines to settle a lawsuit filed by a widow whose husband died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest on board an aircraft that did not have an AED: Undisclosed

Number of children who have died from commotio cordis (cardiac arrest resulting from a moderate blow to the chest, such as from a baseball) since the formation of the U.S. Commotio Cordis Registry in 1999:75

Age, in years, of Louis J. Acompora, a Northport, New York, lacrosse goalie who died after blocking a shot with his chest while wearing approved protective gear: 14

Number of states that have introduced or adopted legislation promoting AEDs in schools: 13

Amount appropriated by the General Assembly of Pennsylvania to fund AED programs in schools: $2,400,000

Amount appropriated by the New York State Legislature to fund a law making AEDs in schools mandatory: $0

This educational supplement was produced by the National Center for Early Defibrillation, a non-profit organization based at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Emergency Medicine. NCED offers an interactive CD-ROM designed to educate high school students about sudden cardiac arrest--and to help them develop the motivation and skills necessary to save a life. To order a copy or learn more, visit www.early-defib.org.