All You Should Know About Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest is mainly caused due to heart attack, it is a sudden abrupt loss of heart functioning consciousness and breathing, cardiac arrest generally results due to rhythmic functions for the electrical system of the heart which lead to disrupt hearts pumping action and stop the blood flow from the heart to the body. Cardiac arrest as a major cause of death nowadays, it can come suddenly or in the wake of other symptoms, cardiac arrest can be very fattal if appropriate steps are not taken immediately on time. Cardiac arrest is caused when the electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops beating properly due to this in appropriate breathing the heart stops pumping or is arrested, & stops working that is why it is called as cardiac arrest.

Symptoms of cardiac arrest:-

There are many signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest that can not be clearly defined as symptoms of cardiac arrest, the most common symptoms are immediate and drastic it includes-

• Loss of breathing
• Loss of consciousness
• Disturbance in pulse
• Sudden collapse
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Shortness of breath & fatigue
• Weakness
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Irregular heartbeat

It is very important to urgently seek medical help if any of the symptoms are experienced.

Causes Of cardiac arrest:-

The main cause of a cardiac arrest is Arrythmias that is abnormal heart beat or rhythm which occurs when the hearts electrical system does not work properly. The electrical system of the heart is responsible to control the rate and rhythm of heartbeat if there is any disturbance in heart beat it may result in to beating too fast or too slowly, which may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. The most common rythm that may result into cardiac arrest is arrhythmia in the lower chamber of the heart that is ventricle.

There are also many heart conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, these include

1. Coronary artery disease- mostly cardiac arrest cases are seen in the people who have coronary artery disease coronary artery is the main artery that supplies the heart if there is any e cholesterol or other deposit present in the artery it becomes clogged which reduces the blood flow to the heart and cause cardiac arrest.

2. Heart attack- if the heart attack occurs it can result in to severe coronary artery disease which can lead to trigger sudden cardiac arrest and ventricular fibrillation, Heart Attack can also leave scar tissue into the heart which can lead to electrical short circuits in the scar tissue leading to abnormality in the heart rhythm and arrhythmia.

1. Congenital heart diseases- generally in children's for adolescents when there is sudden cardiac arrest it can be due to congenital heart disease, congenital heart diseases are the diseases which are present by birth in to the heart.
2. Valvular heart diseases- if there is any leakage or narrowing of the valves of the heart it can lead to stretching and thickening of the heart muscles, if the chambers become enlarged or weakens due to the stress caused by tight walls there are increased chances of developing arrhythmias which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Risk factors-

Sudden cardiac arrest is linked to coronary artery disease there are many risk factors that can lead to coronary artery disease which can also increase the risk of cardiac arrest, here are the most common risk factors which increases the risk of cardiac arrest-

• Smoking
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar level
• Diabetes
• High blood cholesterol
• Past history of coronary artery disease or cardiac arrest
• Inactive lifestyle
• Along with this there are other factors that may increase the risk of cardiac arrest that include
• Any previous history of cardiac arrest or any family history of coronary artery disease
• Using illegal drugs
• Chronic kidney disease
• Sleep apnea
• Any previous heart attack

Here are the risk factors that may lead to cardiac arrest, it is very important to maintain healthy stress free lifestyle to avoid any kind of heart related problems which can cause death.

Prevention:-

Preventing any heart diseases means saving life there are many simple ways to prevent cardiac arrest that include Lifestyle changes, exercising, losing weight and more. Here are some of the tips that can help you to prevent cardiac arrest and other heart diseases.

1. Stay active- exercising play a major role in preventing heart diseases, exercising play a major role in strengthening of heart and to increase the cardio pulmonary activity of body. Exercising 15 to 20 minutes a day can help you to prevent arrhythmias, blockage and other problems that can lead to heart attacks and Cardiac Arrest.
2. Heat healthy diet- try to eat healthy as much as possible avoid foods that are high in cholesterol, carbohydrates,oils, sugar and trans fat. This type of foods can increase the bad cholesterol levels of the body which can clog the arteries and can abrupt the blood flow of the heart which can lead to cardiac arrest.
3. Maintain healthy weight- maintaining a healthy weight can help heart to pump and function easily, obesity can lead to oo blockage of arteries and vessels which can cause abruption of the blood flow and can lead to serious health problems in future.
4. Manage diabetes:- At least 68% of people>65 years of age with Diabetes are at high risk of dying of some form of Heart Disease and 16% die of stroke. Other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity can greatly increase a person with diabetes’ chance of developing cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Sarita Rao is a highly experienced best Cardiac Surgeon in Indore, if you want best Cardiologist in Indore at very low cost then come to Dr. Sarita Rao's clinic. For your appointment call us immediately on +91 9893925000 or more information.

Dr. Sarita Rao is a Sr. Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals, Indore. She is the first female Interventional Cardiologist in Central India. She is Fellow of American College of Cardiology(FACC) and Fellow of European Society of Cardiology(