What is a Heart Disease

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the sudden conclusion of standard circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during systole.

A cardiac arrest is different from (but may be caused be due to ) a coronary or myocardial infarction, where blood flow to the still-beating heart, is interrupted (as in cardiogenic shock).”Arrested” blood circulation prevents delivery of oxygen to all parts of the body. Cerebral hypoxia, or shortage of oxygen supply to the brain, causes victims to lose consciousness and to stop normal breathing, although agonal respiring may still happen. Brain injury is likely if cardiac arrest is untreated for more than 5 minutes, although new treatments like prompted hypothermia have begun to increase this time. To enhance survival and neurological recovery immediate response is paramount. That being said did you hear about the latest news on Michael Jackson (this is related to cardiac arrest)? (Michael Jackson Death)

Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that, in certain groups of patients, is doubtless reversible if treated early ( See “reversible causes” below). When astonishing cardiac arrest leads to death this is known as unexpected cardiac death ( SCD ). The primary first-aid treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (commonly known as CPR) which provides circulatory support till availability of definitive medical treatment, which will will vary dependent on the rhythm the heart is exhibiting, but frequently needs defibrillation.

Characteristics and diagnosis

Cardiac Arrest is a sudden suspension of pump function ( shown by lack of a palpable pulse) of the heart that with prompt intervention might be reversed, but without it will lead to death. In certain cases, it is an anticipated end result outcome to a serious illness.

However, due to inadequate cerebral perfusion, the patient will be unconscious and will have stopped breathing. The main diagnostic criterion to diagnose a cardiac arrest (as opposed to respiratory arrest, which shares many of the same features) is absence of circulation, however there are a variety of ways of determining this.

In many cases, lack of carotid heart beat is the gold standard for diagnosing cardiac arrest, but lack of a pulse ( especially in the marginal beats ) could be a consequence of other conditions ( e.g. Shock ), or merely a blunder on the part of the rescuer. Research has shown that rescuers frequently screw up when checking the carotid heart beat in an emergency, whether they are healthcare professionals or lay persons.

Owing to the inaccuracy in this method of diagnosis, some bodies like the EU Resuscitation Council ( ERC ) have de-emphasised its importance. The Resuscitation Council (UK), in line with the ERC’s suggestions and those of the American Heart Association, have advised the method should be used only by healthcare professionals with explicit coaching and expertise, and even then that it should be viewed in conjunction with other indicators like agonal respiration.

Various other strategies for detecting circulation have been proposed. Suggestions following the 2k Global Liaison Committee on Resuscitation ( ILCOR ) recommendations were for rescuers to go looking for “signs of circulation”, but not specifically the heart beat. These signs included coughing, gasping, colour, twitching and movement. However, in the face of proof that these guidelines were ineffective, this of ILCOR is that cardiac arrest should be diagnosed in all casualties who are unconscious and not respiring normally.

Following first diagnosis of cardiac arrest, healthcare professionals further classify the diagnosis based on the ECG/EKG rhythm. There are 4 rhythms which result in a cardiac arrest. Ventricular fibrillation (VF/VFib) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia ( VT ) are both responsive to a defibrillator and so are colloquially called “shockable” rhythms, while asystole and pulseless electrical activity ( PEA ) are non-shockable. The character of the presenting heart rhythm recommends different causes and treatment, and is used to guide the rescuer as to what treatment may be suitable ( see complicated life support and Advanced cardiac life support, as well as the reasons for arrest below).