foodconsumer.org: Some basics about cardiac arrest

Some basics about cardiac arrest
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admin on 12/20/2009 21:19:00
 
Sudden cardiac arrest is a deadly event that often leads to death.  It occurs
when the heart develops an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat that causes the
heart to suddenly stop beating and blood to stop flowing to the brain and other
organs causing death in minutes.
The death of actress Britanny Murphy has proved that cardiac arrest is lethal. 
The medical condition kills 325,000 Americans each year including celebrities
Tim Russert, Joe Strummer, and Michael Jackson.
Cardiac arrest is not as the same as a heart attack which occurs when the heart
usually does not stop beating.  But cardiac arrest can occur during or after a
heart attack.
The factors that cause ventricular fibrillation or arrhythmia include coronary
artery disease (CAD), severe physical stress, inherited disorders, and
structural changes in the heart.  Undiagnosed CAD is the major risk factor for
the cardiac arrest.
Symptoms or signs include loss of consciousness (fainting) and no heartbeat. In
some cases, people may experience a racing heartbeat, dizziness,
lightheadedness, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea (feeling sick to the
stomach), or vomiting before cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest comes often without prior warning and it requires immediate
treatment with a defibrillator. The device shocks the heart electrically and may
restore a normal rhythm to a heart that has already stopped beating. 
Defibrillation must be done within minutes of cardiac arrest.
By Jimmy Downs
This article is based on documents from a government health agency. It may
contain some content from the government documents.