HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION RESEARCH: SAVING LIVES — CARDIAC EMERGENCY
STOPPING CARDIAC ARREST BEFORE IT HAPPENS
Imagine if you had LQTS — a rare, often
genetic condition, which puts the perfectly
healthy at risk of a sudden cardiac arrest
and death — but didn’t know it.
Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Andrew Krahn
It’s a tragic news story that often makes
had LQTS, which Dr. Krahn calls the
Family members identified to be at
headlines – a young, healthy, fit athlete
“lightning strike” of arrhythmia.
risk can then be given preventative
suddenly collapses and dies of cardiac
Either scenario is frightening. That’s
treatments such as beta blocker pills or
arrest.
why Dr. Krahn is working to develop an
implantable defibrillators.
“Stricken in the prime of life” — that’s
effective testing method for this and
By studying these patients, Dr.
how Heart and Stroke Foundation
other inherited abnormalities. He is
Krahn is also hoping to uncover the
researcher Dr. Andrew Krahn describes
also in charge of a national registry of
DNA sequences responsible for the
the five out of every 10,000 Canadians
patients who experience unexplained
abnormalities, which can be used in
who suffer from long Q-T syndrome
cardiac arrest.
diagnosis and risk prediction.
(LQTS).
For every individual identified with
The aim is to better understand
This rare, often genetic condition puts
arrhythmia, four more at-risk family
inherited electrical abnormalities,
perfectly healthy men, women and
members or relatives with the gene
detect these conditions in vulnerable
children at risk of a sudden cardiac
mutation can be identified, treated and
family members and protect them from
arrest — and death.
potentially saved from dying from a
sudden death.
Imagine if you had LQTS but didn’t
sudden cardiac arrest.
know it. Or imagine if your child
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HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION RESEARCH: SAVING LIVES — CARDIAC EMERGENCY
FINDING ANNA IN TIME
Anna suffered a sudden cardiac
arrest while working out. She didn’t
know she had an undiagnosed — and
treatable — genetic heart condition.
Anna Shanh remembers nothing of
The situation was critical: she was
After a year of testing following the
her sudden cardiac arrest. Her last
rushed to the hospital, put into an
incident, Anna was diagnosed with Long
memory is climbing into her car after
induced coma, and had an implantable
Q-T syndrome. It results in an abnormal
work. She woke up three days later in
cardioverter defibrillator implanted in
heart rhythm (arrhythmia) which puts
a hospital bed with her fiancé, family
her chest.
people at risk for potentially fatal
and friends by her side.
No one was more surprised than
conditions like sudden cardiac arrest.
Anna’s loved ones assembled the
Anna, a trained nurse. At 25, she was
With no apparent symptoms for the
pieces of the puzzle for her. While
young, fit and healthy. She ate well,
condition, Anna never knew she was
working out at her local YMCA, she
exercised daily and avoided drugs and
at risk.
suddenly collapsed and hit her head
cigarettes — nothing put her at risk
on the floor.
for sudden cardiac arrest.
Today Anna is happy and healthy,
Staff sprang into action, performing
“The first thing everyone says to me
the Heart and Stroke Foundation to
CPR and administering shocks from an
is, ‘You’re so young,’” Anna says. “This
advocate for heart health and public
automated external defibrillator (AED).
can happen to anyone.”
access to AEDs.
Thanks to your support, research is creating survivors by enabling faster,
better cardiac emergency response and treatment.
Help create more survivors. #CreateSurvivors
newly married, and joining forces with