User:Mr. Ibrahem/Cardiac arrest
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cardiac arrest is a sudden loss of blood flow resulting from the failure of the heart to pump effectively.[11] Signs include loss of consciousness and abnormal or absent breathing.[1][2] Some individuals may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea before cardiac arrest.[2] If not treated within minutes, it typically leads to death.[11]
Cardiac arrest | |
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Other names | Cardiopulmonary arrest, circulatory arrest, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), sudden cardiac death (SCD)[1] |
CPR being administered during a simulation of cardiac arrest. | |
Specialty | Cardiology, emergency medicine |
Symptoms | Loss of consciousness, abnormal or no breathing[1][2] |
Usual onset | Older age[3] |
Causes | Coronary artery disease, congenital heart defect, major blood loss, lack of oxygen, very low potassium, heart failure[4] |
Diagnostic method | Finding no pulse[1] |
Prevention | Not smoking, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, healthy eating[5] |
Treatment | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation[6] |
Prognosis | Survival rate ~ 10% (outside of hospital) 25% (in hospital)[7][8] |
Frequency | 13 per 10,000 people per year (outside hospital in the US)[9] |
Deaths | > 425,000 per year (U.S.)[10] |
The most common cause of cardiac arrest is coronary artery disease.[4] Less common causes include major blood loss, lack of oxygen, very low potassium, heart failure, and intense physical exercise.[4] A number of inherited disorders may also increase the risk including long QT syndrome.[4] The initial heart rhythm is most often ventricular fibrillation.[4] The diagnosis is confirmed by finding no pulse.[1] While a cardiac arrest may be caused by heart attack or heart failure, these are not the same.[11]
Prevention includes not smoking, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight.[5] Treatment for cardiac arrest includes immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and, if a shockable rhythm is present, defibrillation.[6] Among those who survive, targeted temperature management may improve outcomes.[12][13] An implantable cardiac defibrillator may be placed to reduce the chance of death from recurrence.[5]
In the United States, approximately 535,000 cases occur a year.[9] About 13 per 10,000 people (326,000 or 61%) experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting, while 209,000 (39%) occur within a hospital.[9] Cardiac arrest becomes more common with age.[3] It affects males more often than females.[3] The percentage who survive outside of hospital arrest, despite treatment, is about 8%.[7] Many who survive have significant disability.[7] However, many American television programs have portrayed unrealistically high survival rates of 67%.[7]