Every year, more than 3,000 Singaporeans suffer from sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the sudden stop of the heart’s electrical activity, which dictates the heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of the body. This can occur due to an irregular heartbeat and can potentially lead to death.
It is important not to confuse SCA with a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. However, a heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest as one of its complications.
The good news is that, while life-threatening, cardiac arrest can be reversible with the right intervention — typically within minutes of onset — through CPR and AED use, all guided by the Chain of Survival. To protect yourself from such a scenario, here is a curated guide from a heart doctor in Singapore to help you understand how to safeguard your heart health.
Understanding the Chain of Survival
As a life-threatening condition, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen at any time with little to no warning among patients. When a cardiac arrest occurs, the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly. The effect can happen within seconds, as patients collapse or stop breathing (appearing as gasping for air). You may also notice victims’ loss of pulse, the appearance of a seizure with the jerking of limbs, or rolling up of the eyes.
Without immediate intervention, a cardiac arrest patient’s chances of survival decrease with each passing second to minute. This happens as blood flow to the heart and brain stops. With the slim chance of survival, making use of every window period is crucial. Hence, a system called the ‘Chain of Survival’ has been created.
Source: Singapore Heart Foundation
Under this guideline, there are seven clear steps on what actions to take:
- Prevention: Undoubtedly, preventing cardiac arrest is far better than surviving one. A key tip from heart specialists is to adopt a healthy diet and undergo routine heart screenings to identify risks early.
- Early Activation and AED Access: If you notice the signs of cardiac arrest, dial 995 for an ambulance in Singapore and ask someone to retrieve an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). If you are alone, only retrieve an AED if it is visible and nearby.
- Early CPR: To maintain blood and oxygen flow to the heart and brain, perform chest compressions continuously until the AED arrives.
- Early Defibrillation: Once the AED arrives, turn it on and follow the voice prompts carefully. If the patient is in a wet area or on a metal surface, move them if it is safe to do so. Otherwise, ensure no one is touching the patient or the surface during the shock. Avoid using the AED near flammable gases. Immediate CPR combined with early AED use can increase a cardiac arrest victim’s survival rate by up to 50% if administered within the first few minutes.
- Emergency Medical Services (Ambulance): Rapid transport to the nearest hospital can be critical in improving the chances of surviving cardiac arrest.
- Early Advanced Care: Once at the hospital, patients will receive advanced cardiac life support to restore heart function and ensure oxygen continues to circulate throughout the body.
- Recovery: Ongoing medical and community support, such as rehabilitation therapy and nutritional guidance, is essential to help survivors of cardiac arrest regain normal function and improve long-term outcomes.
Prevention: What Are We Trying to Stop?
Two primary factors can contribute to the onset of a cardiac arrest:
Therefore, maintaining a healthy heart or detecting existing irregular heartbeat conditions and other heart diseases is key to preventing the onset of cardiac arrest. Some practical tips from heart specialists in Singapore include:
How Health Screenings Help Prevent Heart Emergencies
Heart conditions often lurk silently, with patients unaware until symptoms worsen. This is why heart health screenings are essential. They help prevent heart emergencies by detecting risk factors and early signs of heart disease before they become life-threatening, allowing for timely lifestyle changes or medical intervention.
In Singapore, you can visit a heart specialist clinic for a routine check-up. At Capital Heart Centre, we offer a range of options to meet patients’ needs, ranging from basic to premium packages.
When Prevention Isn’t Enough: The Other Steps in the Chain
While routine heart screenings can be effective, there are instances in which the heart may malfunction without warning. Prevention may not always be a foolproof plan against cardiac arrest. In such situations, relying on the subsequent steps in the Chain of Survival can be your best bet for surviving a cardiac arrest. As such, it is critical to understand the steps involved in the chain to know what to do in case of emergencies.
Source: Singapore First Aid Training Centre
Most importantly, being able to perform chest compressions and use an AED can improve a victim’s chance of survival. Nowadays, AEDs are increasingly available in the community, at lift lobbies, shopping malls, and schools. You can also download the myResponder app beforehand, which can help you identify the nearest AED when needed.
What You Can Do Now to Protect Your Heart
If you are confused about where to start, here are 2 key steps you can take today to protect your heart.
Learn CPR
By now, it is clear that CPR is a vital procedure that can mean the difference between life and death for cardiac arrest victims. For every minute that nothing is done, the victim’s chance of survival decreases by 10%. Ensuring that you and those around you are equipped with CPR skills can be extremely helpful in emergencies.
Schedule a Heart Screening
If you are a male over 40 years old or a female approaching menopause, understand that your risk for various cardiovascular conditions is elevated. This means it is the right time to schedule a heart screening to identify potential risks. Alternatively, if you have a known family history of heart conditions, you should consider getting a heart screening early to manage potential risks by working with your heart specialist.
Prevention Is a Choice You Can Make Today
While cardiac arrest can strike without warning, many risk factors are preventable through simple lifestyle changes. By staying active, eating heart-healthy foods, and going for regular screenings, you can take control of your heart health before problems arise. Prevention starts with the choices you make today.
References
- Singapore Resuscitation & First Aid Council. Cardio‑Pulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillation (CPR + AED) Provider Course Manual. Rev 1/2022. SRFAC; 2022. https://srfac.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CA-Manual-REV-1-2022.pdf. Accessed September 29, 2025.
- Singapore Heart Foundation. Sudden cardiac arrest. MyHeart. https://www.myheart.org.sg/health/heart-conditions/sudden-cardiac-arrest/. Accessed September 29, 2025.
- Singapore Heart Foundation. Heart disease statistics. MyHeart. https://www.myheart.org.sg/health/heart-disease-statistics/. Accessed September 29, 2025.
- Singapore Heart Foundation. Out‑of‑Hospital Cardiac Arrest statistics. MyHeart. https://www.myheart.org.sg/health/out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest-statistics/. Accessed September 29, 2025.
