What Is Sudden Caridac Arrest? Knowing Its Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Actor Rituraj Singh, died last night due to cardiac arrest. He was 59. Cardiac arrest is a serious issue which involves proper medical diagnosis. Let’s understand its causes and symptoms.

What is cardiac arrest?

According to Mayo clinic, sudden cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of all heart activity. This happens due to an irregular heart rhythm. As a result, the person stops breathing and becomes unconscious. Without immediate treatment, sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death. 

Emergency treatment for sudden cardiac arrest includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Another way is giving shocks to the heart using a device called an automated external defibrillator (AED).  

However, it is important to know that a sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack happens when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked. However, a sudden cardiac arrest is not due to a blockage. 

Causes 

Abnormal heart rhythms, also called arrhythmias, cause most sudden cardiac arrests. The most common life-threatening arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation. This is an erratic firing of impulses from your heart’s ventricles. The heart stops pumping blood when this happens. 

Symptoms of cardiac arrest 

Symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest are severe. They include: 

• Sudden collapse
• No pulse
• Difficulty breathing or no breathing 

Other symptoms of a cardiac arrest can be chest discomfort, shortness of breath, weakness, and pounding heart. However, a sudden cardiac arrest can often happen without any warning. 

Survival rate 

Irrespective of the seriousness, you can treat a sudden cardiac arrest. However, it is important that the treatment starts immediately. Survival rate is as much as 90 per cent iif treatment starts within the first few minutes after a sudden cardiac arrest, reports Clevelandclinic.This survival rate drops by 10 per cent each minute longer.