MINNEAPOLIS, Dec 16, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Medtronic Foundation today announced new grant opportunities for schools participating in and promoting the American Heart Association's Be The Beat Web site, an online sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) awareness initiative designed specifically for teens. Be the Beat is funded by a $1 million grant from the Medtronic Foundation.

Through the Be the Beat campaign, the Medtronic Foundation is providing $1,000 grants for school staff to help fund CPR and AED training outreach programs within their school or community. The deadline for application is January 15, 2010. More information is available in the "Teachers and Administration" section of the Be the Beat Web site, BetheBeat.heart.org/schools.

BetheBeat.heart.org engages 12- to 15-year-olds to learn the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) through interactive games, videos and songs on the Web.

At BetheBeat.heart.org, users will find:

• The Basics: Three instructional videos that demonstrate conventional CPR with breaths, Hands-OnlyTM CPR and how to use an AED.
• The Heart Trek Experience: Virtual tour through a 3-D animated version of the heart in which participants earn points by playing video games and taking interactive quizzes.
• The World of Hearts: Users create unique avatars, track and compare their scores in the Heart Trek Experience with other users and view profiles and testimonies of other participants.
• Music Playlist: A downloadable playlist of 100-beat-per-minute songs (100 beats per minute is the correct rate for chest compressions during CPR).
• Stuff: Free printable stickers, T-shirt decals and stationery, and free downloadable widgets and wallpapers.

Sudden cardiac arrest, an abrupt loss of heart function caused by the irregular electrical activity of the heart, is a leading cause of death in the United States, killing an estimated 250,000 people each year. Performing CPR and using an AED within the first five minutes of SCA are critical to improving victims' chances for survival.

Medtronic and the Medtronic Foundation

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.

For more than a decade, the Medtronic Foundation has played a leading role in developing and funding state-of-the-art sudden cardiac arrest awareness and training programs.

SOURCE: Medtronic, Inc.

Medtronic Foundation
Rich Fischer, 763-505-2975