Together we can prevent cardiac arrest and double survival rates by 2035
Media Release: May 6, 2025
The 2025 Lorne Sudden Cardiac Arrest Australia Symposium opened with Melbourne father Gordon Thoms sharing his family's tragic experience with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In August 2023 Gordon’s 23-year-old daughter Alexandra, happy and seemingly healthy, died in her sleep after suffering a cardiac arrest. Gordon’s family experienced a singular yet sadly common devastation.
Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of more than 30,000 Australians each year, and that number is increasing.
Speaking in front of 150 leading researchers, clinicians and policymakers, Gordon Thoms highlighted critical gaps in SCA prevention, detection and survival, particularly among young Australians. Thoms urgently called for a national coordinated response to one of the nation’s foremost public health emergencies.
The Lorne Summit Declaration calls for:
1. A 10-Year Cardiac Arrest Action Plan
A comprehensive, decade-long strategy must be developed to coordinate national efforts in SCA prevention, treatment, and survivor and family support. We call for the funding and responsibility of a plan to be endorsed at the 2025 National Health Minister’s meeting.
2. A Virtual National Network
Establishment of a centralised, virtual network to connect key stakeholders across Australia, fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and ensuring a unified approach to tackling SCA.
3. Working Groups with Clear Goals and Deliverables
Dedicated working groups to set measurable targets and milestones that address the four critical areas of need:
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Prevention: Risk factors, data analysis, screening, and preventative treatments.
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Survival: Community awareness, emergency response, and access to defibrillators (AEDs).
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Support: Survivor and family support initiatives, including genetic testing.
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Learning: Research, continuous data collection, and best practice development.
4. A Ministerial Cardiac Arrest Advisory Council
A high-level advisory council to provide strategic guidance to the government, ensuring SCA remains a national health priority.
5. A Call for Extended Funding Through the MRFF Cardiovascular Mission
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Cardiovascular Mission, currently scheduled to end in 2029, must be extended until 2034 with an allocation of $20 million per year (totalling $100 million). Of this, $5 million annually should be dedicated to tackling the issue of cardiac arrest.
A COLLECTIVE COOMMITMENT
The Lorne Summit Declaration represents a unified commitment to transform the nation’s response to sudden cardiac arrest. By working together, we can save thousands of lives, improve outcomes for survivors, and ensure that families like Gordon’s will no longer endure the devastating loss of a loved one to preventable sudden cardiac death.
Quotes from Key Stakeholders:
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Prof. Jamie Vandenberg, Co-Chair of AuSCAA: “In Australia we have the expertise and organisations needed to address the issue of sudden cardiac arrest. Now all we need is coordination and political will.”
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Prof. Andre La Gerche, AuSCAA Steering Committee, Cardiologist and Researcher: “Sudden cardiac arrest should be a national health priority. If it were, thousands of lives could be saved each year.”
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Prof. Janet Bray, AuSCAA Steering Committee, Pre-Hospital Care Researcher: “A properly funded national sudden cardiac arrest strategy could drastically change survival rates—but only if we all commit to action."
About the Australian Sudden Cardiac Arrest Alliance (AuSCAA):
The Australian Sudden Cardiac Arrest Alliance is a coalition of researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to reducing cardiac arrest and double survival rates by 2035. Find out more at AuSCAA.org.
The Lorne Summit Declaration
