Cardiac arrest - Heart failure
- Article
- 2021-02-01
Also known as cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac death
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
SCA usually causes death if not treated within minutes.
Overview
To understand SCA, it helps to understand how the heart works. The heart has an electrical system that controls the speed and rhythm of the heartbeat. Problems with the heart's electrical system can cause an irregular heartbeat called arrhythmias.
There are many types of arrhythmias. During an arrhythmia, the heart may beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. Some arrhythmias can cause the heart to stop pumping blood to the body - these arrhythmias cause sudden cardiac arrest.
SCA is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked. During a heart attack, the heart does not usually stop beating suddenly. However, SCA can occur after or during recovery from a heart attack.
People with heart disease are at higher risk for SCA. However, SCA can occur in people who appear healthy and have no known heart disease or other risk factors for SCA.
Symptoms
Some people may have a fast heart rate or feel dizzy or light-headed just before passing out. Within an hour of SCA, some people have chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea (feeling sick in the stomach), or vomiting.
Therapy
Emergency treatment
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an emergency. Someone with SCA should be treated with a defibrillator immediately. This device delivers an electric shock to the heart. The electric shock can restore a normal rhythm in a heart that has stopped beating.
Defibrillation must be performed within minutes of sudden cardiac arrest to work properly. With every minute that passes, the chance of surviving cardiac arrest diminishes rapidly.
Police, emergency medical personnel, and other first responders are usually trained and equipped to use a defibrillator. Call 9-1-1 immediately if anyone has any signs or symptoms of cardiac arrest. The sooner you call for help, the sooner life-saving treatment can begin.
Automated external defibrillators
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are special defibrillators that untrained bystanders can use. These wearable devices can often be found in public places such as shopping centers, golf courses, businesses, airports, airplanes, casinos, convention centers, hotels, sports venues and schools.
AEDs are programmed to deliver an electric shock when they detect a dangerous arrhythmia, such as ventricular fibrillation. This prevents someone from getting a shock who may have passed out but is not in cardiac arrest.
You must give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a person in cardiac arrest until defibrillation can be performed.
People at risk for cardiac arrest may want to consider having an AED at home. A 2008 study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health found that AEDs are safe and effective at home.
Some people believe that placing these devices in homes will save many lives as there are many SCAs at home. Others note that there is no evidence to support the idea that home AEDs save more lives. These people fear that people who have AEDs at home will delay calling for help during an emergency. They are also concerned that people who have home AEDs will not properly maintain the devices or forget where they are.
If you are considering an AED for home use, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you decide if having an AED will benefit your home.
Treatment in a hospital
If you survive SCA, you will likely be hospitalized for ongoing care and treatment. In the hospital, your medical team will keep a close eye on your heart. They can give you medicines to try to reduce the risk of another cardiac arrest.
At the hospital, your medical team will try to determine what caused your cardiac arrest. If you are diagnosed with ischemic heart disease hYou may undergo percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as coronary angioplasty or coronary bypass grafting. These procedures help restore blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries.
Often times, people with SCA are given a device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This small device is surgically placed under the skin in your chest or abdomen. An ICD uses electrical pulses or shocks to control dangerous arrhythmias.
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