Cardiac Arrest Center
 Verde Valley Medical Center, a member of Northern Arizona Healthcare, is designated a Cardiac Arrest Center by the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System. As a Cardiac Arrest Center, VVMC provides comprehensive, technologically advanced care to individuals who have a sudden cardiac arrest. VVMC is one of only three hospitals north of Phoenix to receive this designation.
Cardiac Arrest Centers must meet the following criteria:
- Cardiac intervention capabilities including a Cardiac Cath Lab and an interventional cardiologist available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- A therapeutic hypothermia method to lower a patient’s body temperature for at least 24 hours after a cardiac event, which reduces the risk of brain damage
- A coordinated approach to cardiac care with local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to provide specific lifesaving protocols before the patient arrives at the hospital
Cardiac arrest is not a heart attack; it is a devastating event in which the heart abruptly and without warning ceases to function. Heart disease, which can be a cause of sudden cardiac arrest, is the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States. Recent data shows each year more than 166,000 people in the U.S. have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital, with less than five percent surviving the incident. Every minute that passes before a cardiac arrest is treated decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent. However, when a person receives bystander CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or CCR (cardiocerebral resuscitation) before emergency medical personnel arrive to start lifesaving care, and then is transported to a Cardiac Arrest Center, the chance of survival increases to approximately 33 percent.
James Dwyer, M.D., medical director of the Heart & Vascular Center of Northern Arizona, and Guardian Air Medical Transport have been instrumental in establishing in-the-field cardiac arrest protocols for Arizona EMS agencies. Arizona is the only state with a network of coordinated cardiac arrest care – from bystanders to EMS to hospitals; and is the only state with EMS guidelines that permit EMS personnel to start cooling a cardiac arrest patient before they arrive at a hospital.
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