Know Cardiac Arrest

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. It can come on suddenly, or in the wake of other symptoms. Cardiac arrest is often fatal, if appropriate steps aren’t taken immediately.

Is a heart attack the same as cardiac arrest?

No. The term “heart attack” is often mistakenly used to describe cardiac arrest. While a heart attack may cause cardiac arrest, the two terms don’t mean the same thing.

Heart attacks are caused by a blockage that stops blood flow to the heart. A heart attack (or myocardial infarction) refers to death of heart muscle tissue due to the loss of blood supply. Heart attack can be understood as a “circulation” problem. A heart attack is quite serious, sometimes fatal.

By contrast, cardiac arrest is caused when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions. The heart stops beating properly. Hence the name: The heart’s pumping function is “arrested,” or stopped

In cardiac arrest, death can result quickly if proper steps aren’t taken immediately. Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed and a defibrillator is used to shock the heart and restore a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes.

CARDIAC ARREST occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly.

Cardiac arrest is an “ELECTRICAL” problem.

Cardiac arrest is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). With its pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs.

• Cardiac arrests are more common than you think, and they can happen to anyone at any time.

• Nearly 383,000 out-of hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.

• Cardiac arrest is characterized by abrupt loss of consciousness caused by lack of adequate cerebral blood flow.

• Nationally over 80% of emergency victims in India do not receive proper medical attention during the golden hour and statistics indicate that 62% of those getting involved in emergencies are those belonging to the productive age group of 25 to 50 years, and for the country this is a major drain on the nation’s most important resource, trained manpower.

• Sudden cardiac arrest symptoms are immediate and drastic and include:

Heart conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest

Risk factors

What Happens ?

Seconds later, a person becomes unresponsive, is not breathing or is only gasping. Death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment.