Sudden Cardiac Death (cont.)
What are the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest?
In sudden cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating, and blood is not supplied
to the body. The presentation is not subtle. Almost immediate loss of
consciousness occurs, and the affected person will not be able to be aroused.
The person will fall or slump over. No pulse will be able to be palpated, and
there will be no signs of breathing.
What is the diagnosis for sudden cardiac arrest?
Sudden cardiac arrest is an unexpected death in a person who had no known
previous diagnosis of a fatal disease or condition. The person may or may not
have heart disease.
What is the treatment for sudden cardiac arrest?
The vast majority of people whose heart stops beating unexpectedly have
ventricular fibrillation. The definitive treatment for this is defibrillation
using electricity to shock the heart back into a regular rhythm. With
technological advances, AEDs are now a routine sight wherever people congregate.
Communities which institute public CPR education, use of AEDs, and rapid
activation of 911 emergency medical services have dramatically increased
survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, because the brain is so
sensitive to the lack of oxygen and blood flow, unless treatment occurs within
four to six minutes, there is a high risk of some permanent brain damage.
Should the patient survive to be transported to the hospital, the reason for
collapse and sudden death will need to be diagnosed. Regardless, the ABCs of
resuscitation will be re-evaluated. Airway, Breathing, and Circulation (heart
beat and blood pressure) will be supported, and admission to an intensive care
unit is most likely.
Diagnostic tests may include repeated electrocardiograms (EKGs), echocardiogram (ultrasounds of
the heart), and cardiac catheterization and electrophysiologic studies, in which
the electrical pathways of the heart are mapped.
Recent research involving the treatment of survivors of cardiac arrest
suggests that prompt institution of hypothermia (cooling of the body) may
prevent or lessen the degree of brain injury.
Survivors of sudden cardiac arrest are often candidates for
implantable
cardiac defibrillators.
Next: Can sudden cardiac arrest be prevented? »
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