Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest 

Cardiac arrest is a serious heart condition. The word arrest means to stop or bring to a halt. In cardiac arrest, the heart ceases to beat. It is also known as sudden cardiac death. Heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses. When these impulses change pattern, the heartbeat becomes irregular. This is also known as an arrhythmia. Some arrhythmias are slow. Others are rapid. Cardiac arrest occurs when the rhythm of the heart stops.

Causes

• Ventricular Fibrillation
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Cardiomegarly
• Irregular Heart Valves
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Electrical Impulse Problems

Risk factors

• smoking
• sedentary lifestyle
• high blood pressure
• obesity
•  family history of heart disease
• history of a previous heart attack
• age over 45 (men) or 55 (women)
• male gender
• substance use

     Signs and Symptoms

• become dizzy
• be short of breath
• feel fatigued or weak
• vomit
• experience heart palpitations
• do not have a pulse
• stop breathing
• have pain in the chest
• lose consciousness
• collapse

Investigations

• Electrocardiogram
• Blood tests - Serum potassium and magnesium levels.
• Echo cardiogram
• Chest X-ray

Treatments

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one form of emergency treatment for cardiac arrest. Defibrillation 
• anti-arrhythmic drugs 
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) 
• Coronary angioplasty. 

REFERENCES

• Siscovick DS, et al. Overview of sudden cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed May 09, 2015.

• What is sudden cardiac arrest? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/scda/.Accessed May 09, 2015..

• Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=4. Accessed May 09, 2015. 2012.

• About cardiac arrest. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/CardiacArrest/About-Cardiac-Arrest_UCM_307905_Article.jsp. Accessed May 09, 2015.