Sudden cardiac arrest is defined as the cessation of mechanical cardiac activity as confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation [1]. Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of mortality in the hospital as well as in the community setting. There are similar rates of sudden cardiac arrest in North America and Europe, leading to over 700,000 deaths in both regions combined annually [2]–[4] and, although overall cardiovascular mortality is decreasing, the proportion of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest has remained constant with a high mortality rate [5]. In fact, the survival rate from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest has been reported to vary between 5 to 18 %, depending on the original arrest rhythm and other factors [6].