County of Greenville, SC

Emergency Medical Services - Cardiac Survivors

Cardiac Survivors Ceremony

Greenville County’s annual Cardiac Survivor Ceremony recognizes those who provided exceptional care to patients in cardiac arrest, celebrates survivors who experienced cardiac arrest, and promotes the importance of educating the public in CPR.

Created in 2011, the ceremony has honored more than 300 first responders responsible for assisting in saving the lives of more than 50 citizens who suffered cardiac arrest. The efforts of health care professionals and citizens in the "chain of survival" are acknowledged and appreciated.

The Spring-time ceremony has already been attended by more than 800 people, and Greenville County EMS expects an even larger event in 2013. Please take the time to view the photos of the events, and watch the popular "survivor" videos that share heroic stories of exceptional performances.

In 2011, GCEMS treated over 300 cardiac arrests with 9% being discharged neurologically intact. Please remember that the key to survival is immediate on-site care performed by citizen bystanders. Only a one-third of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Greenville County receive bystander CPR. Learning CPR is easy, and saves lives.

2013 Ceremony

Video

Survivor Story #1

Survivor Story #2

Survivor Story #3

2012 Ceremony

Video

Survivor Story #1

Survivor Story #2

Survivor Story #3

Slideshow

Ceremony Images

2011 Ceremony

Video

Survivor Story #1

Survivor Story #2

Survivor Story #3

Slideshow

Ceremony Images

Learn CPR

To learn CPR, visit our area friends at:

CPR for the layperson no longer includes mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, only chest compressions.

Cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart stops; a patient is no longer breathing and does not have a pulse. Time is critical for these patients and the 911 system must be activated quickly and chest compressions started immediately. Survival decreases approximately 10 percent every second chest compressions are withheld from a patient in cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest management is extremely difficult and even under the best circumstances survivability is low. Greenville County EMS uses evidence based techniques such as therapeutic hypothermia and aggressive CPR to improve outcomes. Greenville County EMS also has an internationally accredited dispatch system to help the layperson recognize cardiac arrest and provide effective chest compressions.

The leading cause of cardiac arrest is a heart attack. In 2011, GCEMS responded to 172 patients diagnosed with a ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Ideal treatment for this type of cardiac event is angioplasty (balloon or stent) in a hospital cath lab. The national standard for treating a STEMI patient is 90 minutes from the time they arrive at a PCI center to balloon. In conjunction with the area hospitals, GCEMS was able to achieve an average 911 (the time the 911 phone rings) to balloon of 84 minutes. First medical contact to balloon for 2011 was 75 minutes.