acute

Cardiac arrest

, also known as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating or beats in a way which fails to produce pulse. When the heart stops, blood cannot circulate properly through the body and the blood flow to the brain and other organs is decreased. When the brain does not receive enough blood, this can cause a person to lose consciousness and brain cells begin to die within minutes due to a lack of oxygen. Coma and persistent vegetative state may result from cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is typically identified by the absence of a central pulse and abnormal or absent breathing.

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Symptoms — what it feels like

·Decreased level or total loss of consciousness, abnormal or no breathing, no pulse

Causes — why it happens

· disease, arrhythmia, heart defect, major blood loss, lack of oxygen, electrical injury, very low or very high , heart failure, heart attack

How it's found

·Finding no pulse

Prevention

·Not smoking, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, healthy eating

Treatment

·Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation

Complications

·If reversed, coma, persistent vegetative state, post- ; if not reversed, death

Outlook

·Overall survival rate ≈10% (outside of hospital) 25% (in hospital); depends strongly on type and cause

More in Heart

Coronary artery disease Heart failure Arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation)Cardiomyopathy Heart valve disease Rheumatic heart disease Congenital heart defect Heart attack Myocarditis Aortic stenosis Long QT syndrome Infective endocarditis

See all of Heart →

Plain-language summary adapted from Wikipedia. Not medical advice.