Cardiac Arrest - Understanding the Critical Signs and Lifesaving Measures

Cardiac arrest is a heart condition in which your heart stops beating due to an electrical problem. Arrest means to stop or halt.

Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack: A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked whereas cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating. A heart attack is a common cause of cardiac arrest.

Cardiac Arrest causes:

1. Ventricular Fibrillation: Heart has four chambers. The two lower chambers are the ventricles.

In ventricular fibrillation, these chambers vibrate out of control. This may lead to sudden cardiac death.

Atrial Fibrillation: The heart can also stop beating efficiently after an arrhythmia in the upper chambers.

These chambers are known as the atria.

Who Is at Risk for Cardiac Arrest?

People suffering from Coronary Heart Disease, Large Heart, Irregular Heart Valves, Congenital Heart Disease are at high risk.

Other risk factors are like smoking, inactive lifestyle, high blood pressure, obesity, family history of heart disease.

Symptoms of Cardiac Arrest:

Person may short of breath, vomit, heart palpitations, chest pain, no pulse, loss of consciousness.

Treatment:

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one form of emergency treatment for cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can be fatal if it lasts longer than 8 minutes without CPR.

Defibrillation is another.

These treatments get your heart beating again once it has stopped.

Once person survive a cardiac arrest, need treatments to reduce the risk of another attack. Which includes Medication and Surgery.??

Cardiac arrest can be fatal. Only 11% of people who have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital and get emergency treatment survive. If you see patient with cardiac arrest call emergency ambulance and start CPR right away. Treatment is most effective within a few minutes of the arrest.

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