Americans who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital have a dismal survival rate of 1% to 3%. But Minnesota residents might have a better chance  of surviving SCA.

The North Star State is on the cutting edge of the quest to boost survival rates with cardiac arrest centers, cooling devices, and community CPR initiatives.

Specialized facilities such as trauma, burn, and stroke centers improve outcomes by delivering standardized care to patients. Now hospitals are applying those lessons to SCA patients. According to Take Heart America, an estimated 300,000 Americans die each year from SCA — more than from car accidents, firearms, house fires, AIDS, and breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined.

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