Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. The condition usually results from a problem with your heart’s electrical system, which disrupts your heart’s pumping action and stops blood flow to your body.
Sudden cardiac arrest isn’t the same as a heart attack, when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked. However, a heart attack can sometimes trigger an electrical disturbance that leads to sudden cardiac arrest.
If not treated immediately, sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death. Survival is possible with fast, appropriate medical care. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using a defibrillator — or even just giving compressions to the chest — can improve the chances of survival until emergency workers arrive.
*Source: American Heart Association
Still have questions?
The majority of cardiac arrests occur when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions. Ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation are the most common electrical abnormalities during cardiac arrest. An abnormal rhythm can cause an extremely slow heart rate leading to cardiac arrest. Other heart conditions such as heart muscle damage from a prior heart attack, infiltrative cardiomyopathy, an abnormal coronary artery, medications, electrolyte abnormalities and recreational drug use are known causes of sudden cardiac arrest.
The first step is to seek professional medical help immediately by calling 911. If you are trained in CPR, follow the protocols you received during your training and perform CPR.
Yes, an AED, automated external defibrillator, is intended to be placed on someone having a cardiac arrest. Once the machine is turned on, it will analyze the heart rhythm and give instructions. The machine is programmed to deliver an electrical shock, if a shock is indicated.
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