Parents Unite to Fight Childhood Episodes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest; National Parent Heart Watch Network Launched to Turn Losses into Life

The Medtronic Foundation today announced its foundingsponsorship of Parent Heart Watch, a first-of-its-kind nationalnetwork of families who have lost children to sudden cardiac arrest(SCA) - the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function that takes the livesof approximately 335,000 Americans each year. The Foundation willassist the new group in raising awareness about SCA prevalence inadolescent populations, advocating for cardiac screening, preventionand treatment, and increasing access to automated externaldefibrillators, or AEDs, which provide brief but powerful electricalstimulation to restore the heart's natural rhythm.

More than 40 families from 30 states will attend the inauguralLeadership Symposium this week in Las Vegas in a first step to build anational network of parent champions that can advocate for policychanges across the nation.

"The families of Parent Heart Watch are moving from their tragiclosses to action that can protect other children," said Joan Mellor,program manager for the Foundation's HeartRescue program."Individually they have changed laws, placed hundreds of AEDs in localcommunities, and conducted screening events for thousands of youth.Bringing together the energy and focus of these passionate families tobecome one strong voice will protect even more young lives from suddencardiac arrest." The Medtronic Foundation has long supported theinitiation of defibrillation awareness and training programs incommunities worldwide.

Parent Heart Watch grew from the friendship of Linette Derminer,Geneva, Ohio; Sharon Bates, Phoenix, Ariz.; Rachel Moyer, Shawnee onDelaware, Pa.; and Laura Friend, Dallas, Tex., all of whom lost theirchildren, to sudden cardiac arrest resulting from undiagnosed heartproblems. Undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic diseasein which the heart muscle thickens abnormally, is a leading cause ofSCA among children, many whom are active and seemingly healthy. "Earlydetection, education, awareness and proper placement of AEDs canreduce that toll" said Derminer. "It is this group's mission to affectchange so that we can offer young people a choice of life."

When SCA strikes, the American Heart Association recommends thatdefibrillation be delivered within five minutes, when chances ofsurvival are best. For every minute that elapses after SCA, thechances of survival diminish by about 10 percent. It typically takesmedical emergency response teams from six to 12 minutes to arrive,with survival rates now hovering around 5 percent. Placing AEDs inpublic places, such as stadiums, schools and businesses, and traininglaypersons to use the devices is a major focus of community effortsacross the nation to save more lives. Studies show that survival ratesas high as 74 percent are possible when defibrillation is given withinthree minutes of collapse.

About Parent Heart Watch

Parent Heart Watch (www.parentheartwatch.org.) is a non-profitstate-by-state network of parents dedicated to reduce the oftendisastrous effect of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in children. It facilitatesinformation-sharing, support networks, and the formulation ofnationwide programs that (1) raise awareness of the potential forSudden Cardiac Arrest in young people, (2) build champions leading theeffort in each state, (3) provide tools to empower groups to actlocally, and (4) effect public policy changes that save lives.

About Medtronic and the Medtronic Foundation

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis,is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain,restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around theworld. The Medtronic Foundation is committed to helping people livehealthy and productive lives. Its grant making is focused in threespecific areas: health, education and community.