Cardiac arrest
hideA cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal 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 by) a heart attack 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 lack of oxygen supply to the brain, causes victims to lose consciousness and to stop normal breathing, although agonal breathing may still occur. Brain injury is likely if cardiac arrest is untreated for more than five minutes, although new treatments such as induced hypothermia have begun to extend this time. To improve survival and neurological recovery immediate response is paramount.
Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that, in certain groups of patients, is potentially reversible if treated early enough (See "reversible causes" below). When unexpected cardiac arrest leads to death this is called sudden cardiac death (SCD). The primary first-aid treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (commonly known as CPR) which provides circulatory support until availability of definitive medical treatment, which will vary dependent on the rhythm the heart is exhibiting, but often requires defibrillation.
For more information about Cardiac arrest, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with cardiac arrest
Less than 1 in 3 Toronto bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest try to help: Study
Nov 06, 2009 |
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Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital working in conjunction with EMS services, paramedics and fire services across Ontario found that a bystander who attempts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can quadruple the survival ...
Researchers develop innovative imaging system to study sudden cardiac arrest
Oct 30, 2009 |
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A research team at Vanderbilt University has developed an innovative optical system to simultaneously image electrical activity and metabolic properties in the same region of a heart, to study the complex mechanisms that ...
Taser issues advisory on use of stun guns
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Taser International is advising police agencies across the nation not to shoot its stun guns at a suspect's chest.
Uninterrupted chest-compressions key to survival in cardiac arrest outside hospital setting
Sep 29, 2009 |
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Maximizing the proportion of time spent performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) substantially improves survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, ...
Heartbreak increases heart attack risk: study
Sep 15, 2009 |
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People mourning the loss of a loved one are six times more likely to suffer cardiac arrest, potential proof that you can indeed die of a broken heart, Australian researchers said Tuesday.
During CPR, more chest compressions mean more saved lives
Sep 14, 2009 |
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The chance that a person in cardiac arrest will survive increases when rescuers doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) spend more time giving chest compressions, according to a multi-center study reported in Circulation: Jo ...
Sudden death during sport: Education to improve survival rates
Sep 01, 2009 |
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More widespread availability of defibrillators and education of the general public could boost survival rates fourfold amongst athletes suffering cardiac arrest, a study has found. In less than half of cases, a bystander ...
Cardiac arrest casualties form a valuable source of donor kidneys
Aug 28, 2009 |
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A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney ...
Cardiac arrest resuscitation: Passive oxygen flow better than assisted ventilation
Aug 12, 2009 |
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Arizona researchers have added another piece to the mounting body of evidence that suggests during resuscitation efforts to treat patients in cardiac arrest, "passive ventilation" significantly increases survival rates, compared ...
Cooling therapy for cardiac arrest survivors is as cost-effective as accepted treatments
Aug 04, 2009 |
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Cooling unconscious cardiac arrest survivors can increase survival and has a cost effectiveness comparable to other widely accepted treatments in modern health care, researchers report in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality an ...
Proper placement of defibrillators key to effective use
Jul 28, 2009 |
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The appropriate placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is critical to optimize their use in public places, according to two studies published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Delays in defibrillation not explained by traditional hospital factors
Jul 27, 2009 |
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such as case volume and academic status—do not appear to predict whether patients with cardiac arrest at that facility are likely to experience delays in receiving defibrillation, according to a report in the July 27 issue ...
Wrong dose of heart meds too frequent in children
Jul 07, 2009 |
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Infants and young children treated with heart drugs get the wrong dose or end up on the wrong end of medication errors more often than older children, according to research led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center to be ...
Survival rates for elderly patients receiving in-hospital resuscitation (CPR) did not improve from 1992 to 2005
Jul 01, 2009 |
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You don't have to be Michael Jackson to have this problem: The odds of surviving cardiac arrest after getting CPR in a hospital are slim and have not improved in more than a decade, a big Medicare study concludes.
Barriers hinder EMS workers from using best resuscitation practices
Jun 30, 2009 |
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Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality an ...
