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Cardiac arrest is a serious and potentially life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate attention and action, especially true when it occurs in a public setting like a restaurant, concert, or sports field. It’s crucial for you to understand the signs, how to recognize them, and how to properly respond by performing CPR and applying an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Qfm96 and Mount Carmel Health System have teamed up with The American Heart Association to explain the importance of understanding cardiac arrest and by providing you with the resources to be prepared in case of an emergency. CPR – especially if performed immediately – can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Your hands are like wings of life. With the power of your hands, you can save someone’s life.
Find a CPR course by clicking below to learn hands-only CPR and become a hero who can save hearts and lives.
Torg & Elliott speak with Dr. Fareed Shaikh, a cardiologist with Mount Carmel Health System, to better understand the steps you need to take when an emergency happens where CPR is needed; where you can learn CPR, and what you can do to take better care of your heart.
PulsePoint provides an AED locator app for iOS and Android devices. Download it here so you won’t be left wondering where the closest AED is when an emergency happens. (PulsePoint not available in all locations).
What Is Cardiac Arrest, And Why Are CPR And AED So Important?
Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops abruptly with little or no warning. It can come on suddenly or in the wake of other symptoms. The heart stops beating properly. The heart’s pumping function is “arrested,” or stopped. In cardiac arrest, death can result quickly if proper steps aren’t taken immediately. Early recognition of cardiac arrest improves the person’s chance of survival and is key to starting the correct care of CPR and the appropriate use of defibrillation to restart the heart to a normal rhythm within a few minutes.
What Are The Causes Of Cardiac Arrest?
- Cardiac arrest may be caused by almost any known heart condition. Most cardiac arrests occur when a diseased heart’s electrical system malfunctions. It’s an ELECTRICAL problem. This malfunction causes an abnormal heart rhythm. Some cardiac arrests are also caused by the extreme slowing of the heart’s rhythm. Irregular heartbeats such as these are life-threatening.
What You Need To Know About CPR and AED’s
- When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. According to the American Heart Association, about 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. And each year in the United States, an estimated 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in the community. Roughly 70% of cardiac arrests that do not happen in the hospital occur in homes and private residences, therefore, a friend or family member is most likely to be the person who needs to take action. Imagine that friend or a family member has cardiac arrest right in front of you. Their heart has stopped beating. They need help. What do you do? Bystanders only perform life-saving CPR 46% of the time. That’s because the other half don’t know what to do, fear legal ramifications or hurting the victim, and think someone else will come to the rescue. It’s understandable. But the benefits of performing CPR far outweigh the risk, exponentially increasing the chance of survival. So don’t wait for someone else to step up. Learn and do CPR. You might even save someone you love. Find CPR resources for what you can do as a bystander HERE.
- Another emergency where CPR and/or AED’s might be used is Commotio cordis, or the lethal disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart at a critical time during the cycle of a heartbeat. While rare, this is a condition that could affect anyone playing a contact sport. Commotio cordis occurs mostly in boys and young men (average age 15), usually during sports, often despite a chest protector. Being less developed, the thorax of an adolescent is likely more prone to this injury given the circumstances.
- AED’s have helped increase the survival rate to 35%.[1] Defibrillation must be started as soon as possible (within 3 minutes) for maximal benefit. Commotio cordis is the leading cause of fatalities in youth baseball in the US, with two to three deaths per year.[10] It has been recommended that “communities and school districts reexamine the need for accessible automatic defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation-trained coaches at organized sporting events for children.”
[Commotio cordis: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Circulation.] Source Link
Is Cardiac Arrest The Same As A Heart Attack?
What Is A Heart Attack?
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. A heart attack is a CIRCULATION problem. A blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a section of the heart. If the blocked artery is not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by that artery begins to die.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack?
- Symptoms of a heart attack may be immediate and may include intense discomfort in the chest or other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, cold sweats, and/or nausea/vomiting. More often, though, symptoms start slowly and persist for hours, days or weeks before a heart attack. Unlike with cardiac arrest, the heart usually does not stop beating during a heart attack. The longer the person goes without treatment, the greater the damage. The heart attack symptoms in women can be different than in men (shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain).
What to do in the event of a heart attack
- Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, call your local emergency number. Every minute matters! It’s best to call your local emergency number to get to the emergency room right away. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.
What is a heart attack’s link to cardiac arrest?
- Most heart attacks do not lead to cardiac arrest. But when cardiac arrest occurs, a heart attack is a common cause. Other conditions may also disrupt the heart’s rhythm and lead to cardiac arrest.