What is Cardiac Arrest?
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or cardiac arrest is a sudden loss of heart activity caused due to irregular heart rhythm. SCA is different from a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to a part of the heart is blocked. Sudden cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is not due to a blockage. However, it's important to note that a heart attack can lead to changes in the heart’s electrical activity which can further lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
Cardiac Arrest Symptoms
Cardiac arrest symptoms are both immediate and severe. These may include:
No breathing
No pulse
Sudden collapse or loss of consciousness
In some cases, other symptoms may occur before a cardiac arrest. These symptoms can be:
Fast beating or pounding heart called palpitations
Weakness
Chest discomfort
Shortness of breath
Note: Sudden cardiac arrest can happen abruptly, without any prior warning..
Cardiac Arrest Causes
A change in the heart’s electrical activity leads to cardiac arrest. The causes of cardiac arrest can be as follows:
Heart Conditions That Can Lead to Cardiac Arrest
The most common cause of cardiac arrest is irregular heart rhythm, also referred to as ventricular fibrillation. Certain heart conditions that can cause cardiac arrest include:
Coronary artery disease: Cardiac arrest may occur if the arteries of the heart become clogged with cholesterol and other deposits, reducing the flow of blood to the heart.
Heart attack: If a heart attack occurs, often due to severe coronary artery disease, it can trigger ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.
Enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy): This condition occurs when the walls of the heart muscle stretch. The heart muscle enlarges or becomes thicker.
Heart valve disease: Narrowing or leaking of the heart valves leads to thickening or stretching of the heart muscle. When the chambers become weakened or enlarged because of stress due to tight or leaking valves, there’s a greater risk of developing a heart rhythm problem.
Heart problem at birth (congenital heart defect): Cardiac arrest in children or adolescents is often due to a heart problem present since birth.
LQTS (Long QT Syndrome) and other heart signalling problems: Conditions like LQTS can cause the heart to beat in an unorganised way. If the heart's rhythm is not rapidly restored, sudden death may follow.
Cardiac Arrest Risk Factors
The risk factors that are known to increase the risk of heart disease can also increase the risk of cardiac arrest. These risk factors may include:
Other factors that can increase the risk of cardiac arrest may include:
A previous episode of cardiac arrest
A previous heart attack
Old age
Being male
Low magnesium or potassium levels
Obstructive sleep apnea (a sleep disorder)
Chronic kidney disease
A family history of other types of heart disease such as heart rhythm problems, heart issues present at birth and heart failure.
Cardiac Arrest Treatment
If cardiac arrest occurs, immediate treatment is required to improve the flow of oxygen rich blood to the organs. Cardiac arrest treatment options include:
1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
The first line of treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), during which another person compresses the chest to increase blood flow to the organs.
2. Defibrillatorcardio
A defibrillator sends an electric shock to the heart to help it regain its normal function and beat normally. This treatment is used immediately to save the person’s life and reduce further organ damage due to lack of oxygen and blood deprivation.
How to Prevent Cardiac Arrest?
Keeping the heart healthy helps prevent cardiac arrest. Some preventive steps can be as follows:
Eating a healthy diet
Getting regular health checkups or screening for heart disease
Not smoking or avoiding tobacco use
Reducing alcohol intake
Managing blood pressure and cholesterol
Recovering from Cardiac Arrest
Surviving a cardiac arrest is a life-changing event and can potentially lead to physical side effects and brain-related issues. The physical side effects may include:
Fatigue
Weakness in the muscles
Pain from compressions in the chest
Changes in speech or vision
Issues with fine motor skills
Difficulty sleeping
Trouble swallowing
Reduced sex drive
Medication side effects
Most survivors with these side effects show an improvement over the first year. During a cardiac arrest, the brain may not have had enough oxygen that may result in cognitive changes at the time of recovery. Potential brain related issues may include:
1. Lack of attention or focus
2. Long-term and short-term memory issues
3. Lack of organisation skills
4. Language problems (understanding speech and difficulty speaking)
5. Vision problems
FAQs
Why does a cardiac arrest happen?
Malfunctioning of the heart’s electrical system leads to a cardiac arrest. This causes abnormal heart rhythm such as ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. Some cardiac arrests are also caused due to extreme slowing of heart rate (bradycardia).
Can you survive cardiac arrest?
Immediate treatment with CPR and defibrillation can save the life of a person experiencing cardiac arrest. Survival rates in the case of a cardiac arrest can be 90 percent if treatment starts within the first minute after the occurrence of a cardiac arrest. SCA or sudden cardiac arrest can be fatal if it lasts longer than eight minutes without CPR. However, only around 10 percent of people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
What happens before cardiac arrest?
Usually, the first sign of cardiac arrest is loss of consciousness (fainting). This happens when the heart stops beating. Some people may also have a racing heartbeat or feel light-headed and dizzy right before they faint.
Can you recover from cardiac arrest?
Surviving a cardiac arrest has lasting effects and consequences. Among those who survive a cardiac arrest, there is a risk of neurocognitive deficits, disorders of consciousness, brain injury, neurologic dysfunction and overall changes in quality of life.
Cardiac Treatments
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