About the Texas Arrhythmia Institute

Texas Arrhythmia Institute is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization founded in 1994. Our mission is to prevent sudden cardiac death with accessible automatic external defibrillators and trained bystanders.

In this country, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) affects more than 350,000 people annually and is the leading cause of death, each year killing more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined. Few people realize that an overwhelming majority of these fatalities are due to cardiac arrhythmias, disturbances in the otherwise regular and automatic beating of the heart. While most SCA deaths occur in adults, SCA is also the leading cause of death in young athletes and can also strike children participating in normal school or sports activity.

Sudden cardiac arrest must be treated within minutes to have a chance at a successful outcome. Emergency responders often cannot get to a victim of SCA fast enough due to notification and response logistics. Thus, the availability of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) improves the victim's chances of meeting the three-minute "drop to shock" necessary for survival.

The Texas Arrhythmia Institute works to promote public access defibrillation and widespread CPR and AED training in the community. Our mission is the elimination of preventable deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.