American Heart Association
Encyclopedia
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization
in the United States
that fosters appropriate cardiac
care in an effort to reduce disability
and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease
and stroke
. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas
. The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is: "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke."
The American Heart Association publishes a standard for providing basic and advanced life support, including standards for proper performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR). The AHA offers the most widely accepted certification for basic life support
(BLS). The AHA is now also a provider of training for first aid
, in addition to CPR.
Ralph L. Sacco, MD
, MS
, FAAN
, FAHA
, is the current President of the American Heart Association. He is the first neurologist
to hold the position.
The AHA also operates an affiliated organization, the American Stroke Association, which focuses on care, research and prevention of strokes.
In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that the American Heart Association was ranked as the 5th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 45% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for the American Heart Association.
On October 28, 2009 The American Heart Association and the Ad Council
launched a Hands Only CPR PSA and website. In July 2011, new content was added to the website including a digital app that helps a user learn how to perform Hands-Only CPR.
On November 30, 2009, The American Heart Association announced a new cardiac arrest
awareness campaign called Be the Beat. The campaign’s aim is to help create the next generation of lifesavers by teaching 12- to 15-year-olds fun ways to learn the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
and how to use an automated external defibrillator
. The official site, BetheBeat.heart.org, contains interactive games, quizzes, and a playlist of 100-beat-per-minute songs, as well as a section for teachers and administrators who want to incorporate CPR and AED educational information into their schools.
In May 2010, the AHA endorsed the Nintendo
Wii
Console
to encourage everyone to get involved in a level of fitness that would develop healthiness. The AHA Heart Icon is featured on the box of the console as well as on the Wii Fit Plus
and Wii Sports Resort
titles.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that fosters appropriate cardiac
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
care in an effort to reduce disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
and stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is: "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke."
The American Heart Association publishes a standard for providing basic and advanced life support, including standards for proper performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
(CPR). The AHA offers the most widely accepted certification for basic life support
Basic life support
Basic life support is the level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until the patient can be given full medical care at a hospital. It can be provided by trained medical personnel, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and by...
(BLS). The AHA is now also a provider of training for first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
, in addition to CPR.
Ralph L. Sacco, MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, MS
Medical Scientist Training Program
Medical Scientist Training Programs are combined M.D. and Ph.D. graduate degree programs offered by a small number of United States medical schools with financial support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences , in recognition of the increasing need for scientists to bridge the...
, FAAN
American Academy of Neurology
The American Academy of Neurology is a professional society for neurologists and neuroscientists. As a medical specialty society it was established in 1949 by A.B. Baker of the University of Minnesota to advance the art and science of neurology, and thereby promote the best possible care for...
, FAHA
Australian Academy of the Humanities
The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia...
, is the current President of the American Heart Association. He is the first neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
to hold the position.
The AHA also operates an affiliated organization, the American Stroke Association, which focuses on care, research and prevention of strokes.
In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that the American Heart Association was ranked as the 5th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 45% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for the American Heart Association.
On October 28, 2009 The American Heart Association and the Ad Council
Ad Council
The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including non-profit organizations and agencies of the United States government....
launched a Hands Only CPR PSA and website. In July 2011, new content was added to the website including a digital app that helps a user learn how to perform Hands-Only CPR.
On November 30, 2009, The American Heart Association announced a new cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
awareness campaign called Be the Beat. The campaign’s aim is to help create the next generation of lifesavers by teaching 12- to 15-year-olds fun ways to learn the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
and how to use an automated external defibrillator
Automated external defibrillator
An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
. The official site, BetheBeat.heart.org, contains interactive games, quizzes, and a playlist of 100-beat-per-minute songs, as well as a section for teachers and administrators who want to incorporate CPR and AED educational information into their schools.
In May 2010, the AHA endorsed the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
to encourage everyone to get involved in a level of fitness that would develop healthiness. The AHA Heart Icon is featured on the box of the console as well as on the Wii Fit Plus
Wii Fit Plus
is a fitness video game by Nintendo for the Wii console. The game is an enhanced version of Wii Fit and was announced at Nintendo's E3 2009 media briefing on June 2, 2009. The game was released in Japan on October 1, 2009 and in North America three days later on October 4. It was released in South...
and Wii Sports Resort
Wii Sports Resort
Wii Sports Resort has received generally favorable reviews, with an average score on Metacritic of 80%. IGN gave it a 7.7 out of 10, citing the impressive fidelity of the controls and how the graphics, as compared to the majority of Wii games, were superb. GameTrailers gave an 8.6 out of 10....
titles.
See also
- Automated external defibrillatorAutomated external defibrillatorAn automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
(AED) - Basic life supportBasic life supportBasic life support is the level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until the patient can be given full medical care at a hospital. It can be provided by trained medical personnel, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and by...
, a standard published by the AHA - Advanced cardiac life supportAdvanced cardiac life supportAdvanced cardiac life support or Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support refers to a set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest and other life threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions.Extensive medical knowledge...
(ACLS), a standard published by the AHA - AHA-1AHA-1The AHA-1 diet was a healthy eating diet proposed by the American Heart Association. Sometimes known as AHA Step I, the association no longer uses this term to refer to any type of a diet that they recommend; therefore this term is obsolete and only used in older materials and as a...
- HypertensionHypertension (journal)Hypertension is a monthly, peer reviewed, scientific journal, established with the 1979 issue , and published by the American Heart Association . The Editor in Chief is John E...
an AHA scientific & medical journal - Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular BiologyArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular BiologyArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for the American Heart Association...
an AHA scientific & medical journal
External links
- Official website
- American Stroke Association Web site
- My.AmericanHeart.org Web site
- American Heart Association Training Web Site
- Be the Beat
- Hands Only CPR
- Stroke Heroes Act FASTStroke Heroes Act FASTStroke Heroes Act FAST is a public health campaign produced by the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health...