Case Scenario
32-year-old Dale, a professional footballer was kicking around a soccer ball with his friends on a training ground, when he suddenly collapsed and was noticed to have stopped breathing.
His friends immediately knew that he had gone into cardiac arrest, they commenced CPR and another ran to get an automated external defibrillator (AED) from the side-line of the sport pitch. The AED was quickly setup to deliver a shock and within minutes the victim’s heart had started beating again. By the time the paramedics arrived on scene, the victim had regained consciousness and he has since made a full recovery.
His friends immediately knew that he had gone into cardiac arrest, they commenced CPR and another ran to get an automated external defibrillator (AED) from the side-line of the sport pitch. The AED was quickly setup to deliver a shock and within minutes the victim’s heart had started beating again. By the time the paramedics arrived on scene, the victim had regained consciousness and he has since made a full recovery.
Cardiac Arrest is a sudden loss of heart function which often result from disturbances in the heart electrical activity.
Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency and is often fatal if appropriate steps are not taken immediately.
Cardiac arrest is different from Heart attack (also known as acute myocardial infarction) which occur as result of blockage of blood flow to the heart
Causes of Cardiac Arrest
Most cardiac arrest are due to abnormal heart rhythm called Ventricular fibrillation, characterise by chaotic electrical activity in the heart causing the heart to stop pumping and fibrillate instead
Other causes include;
- Heart attack
- Coronary heart disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Abnormality of heart valves
- Electrocution
- Illicit Drug Use
Common Risk Factors
- Family history of heart disease
- Cigarette smoking
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Stress
Symptoms of Cardiac Arrest
- Sudden collapse
- No pulse
- No breathing or Gasping
- Loss of consciousness
- Warning signs like chest pain and difficulty breathing may occur before sudden cardiac arrest. However, most individuals with cardiac arrest rarely present with warning signs.
What to do if you see someone who might be having a Cardiac Arrest
- Call for emergency medical services
- Give CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation): Push down at least 2 inches with your hands placed at the centre of the chest allowing the chest to come back up at the rate of 100 to 120 pushes per minute
- Continue pushing until the person start breathing or the Emergency medical team arrives
- If a portable Automated External defibrillators (AEDs) is available, deliver one shock when asked to by the device, afterward resume chest compression.
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