Cardiac arrest, sometimes called sudden cardiac arrest, means that your heart suddenly stops beating. This cuts off blood flow to the brain and other organs. It’s an emergency and is deadly if not treated immediately. Call 911 right away!
What exactly happens
Your heart has an electrical system that keeps it beating regularly. Cardiac arrest can strike if the electrical signals go haywire and cause an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia. There are different types of arrhythmias, and most aren’t dangerous. One called ventricular fibrillation triggers cardiac arrest the most. If this happens, the heart can’t pump enough blood to your body. That’s life-threatening within minutes.
Symptoms
Cardiac arrest is quick and drastic: You suddenly collapse, lose consciousness, have no pulse, and aren’t breathing. Right before it happens, you could be very tired, dizzy, weak, short of breath, or sick to your stomach. You may pass out or have chest pain. But not always. Cardiac arrest can happen with no warning signs at all.
What causes cardiac arrest
- Major blood loss or severe lack of oxygen
- Intense exercise, if you have heart problems
- Too high levels of potassium or magnesium, which could lead to a deadly heart rhythm
- Your genes. You may inherit certain arrhythmias or a tendency to get them.
- Changes to your heart’s structure. For instance, an enlarged heart or changes caused by an infection.
But one thing to note is that a cardiac arrest is not a heart attack, a heart attack is where the blood flow to the heart stops whereas in cardiac arrest the heart stops. sometimes heart attacks can trigger a cardiac arrest.
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