The American Heart Association is a voluntary health agency with approximately 100,000 members. It has affiliate offices in every state and in major cities throughout the country. The primary objective of the organization is to decrease and eventually eliminate disability and death from cardiovascular disease. This is accomplished through three general areas of program responsibility, namely support of research, community programs, and public and medical education. Its financial support is derived from public voluntary contributions.

There are close to one million deaths in the United States annually from cardiovascular disease, which include over 640,000 heart attack victims. Those of us working in the area of heart disease regard the problem as one of catastrophic proportions, and in fact, “disaster medicine.” With the cause of most cardiovascular diseases unknown, special emphasis is placed on research. However, the American Heart Association also has a responsibility to impart to the medical profession, and the public at large, what knowledge is known. Therefore, a great deal of emphasis is placed on prevention, particularly how it relates to heart attacks.