Only about 8 percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive.
This rapid heartbeat can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness, fainting and shortness of breath, and may set the stage for sudden cardiac arrest.
When someone reports a sudden cardiac arrest in the San Ramon Valley, 30 miles (48 km) north of San Jose, the fire department immediately dispatches an ambulance.
Only 160 deaths (35.6%) were considered to be from sudden cardiac arrest from tachyarrhythmia. Of these deaths, 117 occurred at home; 58 at-home events were witnessed.
Previous studies have shown that earthquakes war or even the loss of a World Cup Soccer match can increase rates of death from sudden cardiac arrest in which the heart stops circulating blood.