Sudden Cardiac Arrest
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- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Overview
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Causes
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Risk Factors
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Signs and Symptoms
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Diagnosis
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Treatment
- Prevention
- Key Points
- Viewer Comments: Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Experience
Causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Medical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FAAEM, FACEP
Medical Editors: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
On June 25, 2009, paramedics were called to the home of
Michael Jackson responding to calls that he wasn't breathing. They found him in
cardiac arrest and started CPR. He was transported to UCLA medical center were
numerous attempts to restart his heart failed and he was pronounced dead.
Every day, calls come into the 911 emergency dispatch centers across the country with frantic voices crying for help. A person can't be wakened, breathing has stopped, and a pulse can't be felt. Cardiac arrest, the failure of the heart's electrical conducting system to generate a heart beat, marks the end of life. No matter what the cause, death happens when the heart stops beating.
The heart is an electrical pump. The mechanical pumping action that circulates blood requires an organized electrical system to get the heart muscle to squeeze. There are many reasons for the electrical activity to fail, and it's almost always due to irritable heart muscle cells that, in effect, cause a short circuit.
What Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
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.
Sudden cardiac arrest usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes.
Overview
To understand sudden cardiac arrest, it helps to understand how the heart works. The heart has an internal electrical system that controls the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. Problems with the electrical system can cause abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs).
There are many types of arrhythmias. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. Some arrhythmias can cause the heart to stop pumping blood to the body. These are the type of arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest 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 usually doesn't suddenly stop beating. Sudden cardiac arrest, however, may happen after or during recovery from a heart attack.
People who have heart disease are at increased risk for sudden cardiac arrest. However, most sudden cardiac arrests happen in people who appear healthy and have no known heart disease or other risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest.
Outlook
Ninety-five percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest die from it—most within minutes. Rapid treatment of sudden cardiac arrest with a defibrillator can be lifesaving. A defibrillator is a device that sends an electric shock to the heart to try to restore its normal rhythm.
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which often are found in public places like airports and office buildings, can be used by bystanders to save the lives of people who are having sudden cardiac arrest.
Next: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Causes »
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Automated External Defibrillators (AED) »
Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Introduction
Heart disease is the number 1 killer in the United States. Every day, more than 2600 Americans die from cardiovascular disease, which amounts to 1 death every 33 seconds.
Most of these deaths occur with little or no warning, from a syndrome called sudden cardiac arrest. The most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest is a disturbance in the heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.
Ventricular fibrillation is dangerous because it cuts off blood supply to the brain and other vital organs.
- The ventricles are the chambers that pump blood out of the heart and into the blood vessels. This blood supplies oxygen and other nutrients to organs, cells, and other structures.
- If these structures do not receive enough blood, they start to shut down, or fail.
- If blood flow is not restored immediately, permanent brain damage or death is the result.
Ventricular fibri...
