What Is Cardiac Arrest?

Cardiac Arrest

On thursday afternoon June 25, 2009  King of  Pop Michael Jackson had died because of cardiac Arrest.  Although the real story of his death still mysterious, as his spokesman Dr. Tohme Tohme tell that he was “in fine health”.

So what is cardiac arrest anyway, what its cause and many other question around cardiac arrest, you can find article below from AmericanHeart.org

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest is the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. The victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. It’s also called sudden cardiac arrest or unexpected cardiac arrest. Sudden death (also called sudden cardiac death) occurs within minutes after symptoms appear.

What causes cardiac arrest?

The most common underlying reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease. Most cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death occur when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) or both. This irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. Some cardiac arrests are due to extreme slowing of the heart. This is called bradycardia.

Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack can cause cardiac arrest. They include respiratory arrest, electrocution, drowning, choking and trauma. Cardiac arrest can also occur without any known cause.

Can cardiac arrest be reversed?

Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can be reversed if it’s treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. This process is called defibrillation. A victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

How many people survive cardiac arrest?

No statistics are available for the exact number of cardiac arrests that occur each year. It’s estimated that more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. In cities where defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 30–45 percent.

What can be done to increase the survival rate?

Early CPR and rapid defibrillation combined with early advanced care can result in high long-term survival rates for witnessed cardiac arrest. For instance, in June 1999, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were mounted 1 minute apart in plain view at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. In the first 10 months, 14 cardiac arrests occurred, with 12 of the 14 victims in ventricular fibrillation. Nine of the 14 victims (64 percent) were revived with an AED and had no brain damage.

If bystander CPR was initiated more consistently, if AEDs were more widely available, and if every community could achieve a 20 percent cardiac arrest survival rate, an estimated 40,000 more lives could be saved each year. Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people react quickly by calling 9-1-1 and performing CPR, more lives can be saved.

Related posts:

1. Michael Jackson Health History Late Thursday afternoon, after nearly two hours of speculation, the Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson had died, apparently...
2. Diprivan Propofol May Be Caused of Michael Jackson Death King of pop Michael Jackson’s death may be caused by Diprivan (Propofol). Michael Jackson had been using Diprivan (Propofol) says...
3. How To Prevent–even Cure Heart Disease. How To Prevent–even Cure Heart Disease–without Drugs Or Surgery. How To Prevent–even Cure Heart Disease....
4. Heart Rate Monitors – Why Should I Use One? What is a Heart Rate Monitor? Sometimes called a cardiac monitor, a heart monitor is an electronic device that is...
5. 7 Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness...