While it's estimated that more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital, death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. Survivors of sudden cardiac arrest may face a variety of complex medical issues known as Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome (PCAS):
Systemic Ischemia/Reperfusion Response
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Sudden cardiac arrest may be caused by almost any known heart condition. Most cardiac arrests occur when the diseased heart's electrical system malfunctions, producing an abnormal rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Some cardiac arrests are caused by extreme slowing of the heart's rhythm. All these events are called life-threatening arrhythmias.
Cardiac arrest strikes immediately and without warning. Here are the signs:
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest, is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. The time and mode of death are unexpected. It occurs instantly or shortly after symptoms appear. Each year, nearly 360,000 emergency medical services-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. 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 and sudden death, the 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, not necessarily resulting in the death of the heart attack victim. Cardiac arrest is caused when the heart's electrical system malfunctions. In cardiac arrest death results when the heart suddenly stops working properly. This may be caused by abnormal, or irregular, heart rhythms (called arrhythmias). A common arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. This is when the heart's lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don't pump blood. Death occurs within minutes after the heart stops. 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. |
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