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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with cardiac arrest
More compressions, fewer interruptions lead to higher cardiac arrest survival
May 04, 2009 |
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Survival rates from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest almost doubled when professional rescuers using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) gave better chest compressions and minimized interruptions to them, according to ...
Study finds high-dose HBO2 therapy extends survival window after cardiopulmonary arrest
Jul 15, 2008 |
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A ground-breaking study by researchers at the School of Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans published in the August 2008 issue of Resuscitation has major implications for the #1 cause of death of Americans -- sud ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Saving lives more efficiently: Cardiac arrest study may help EMS and ERs
Sep 23, 2008 |
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When someone's heart suddenly stops beating – a condition called cardiac arrest -- there's a lot that bystanders and ambulance crews can do to get it started again. But if the victim doesn't respond, when should such efforts ...
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.
Heart attack not a death sentence
Jul 18, 2008 |
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Survivors of cardiac arrest who received intensive care can expect long-term quality of life at reasonable expense to the health care system. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care is the ...
Post-cardiac arrest care key to survival
Oct 23, 2008 |
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The urgent need for treatment doesn't end when a person regains a pulse after suffering sudden cardiac arrest — healthcare providers need to move quickly into post-cardiac arrest care to keep a person alive and ensure the ...
Treatment lowers temp, saves patients in cardiac arrest
Dec 30, 2008 |
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Nearly 200,000 out-of-hospital incidents of sudden cardiac arrest occur among U.S. residents each year. For every minute care is delayed, survival is decreased.
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.
Continuous chest compression-CPR improved cardiac arrest survival in Arizona
Nov 16, 2009 |
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The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. ...
CPR is successful without mouth-to-mouth, but not without oxygen
Nov 30, 2009 |
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People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them - as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen ...
Chances of surviving cardiac arrest depend on where patients are treated
Jan 09, 2009 |
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Efforts to fight the toll of cardiac arrest have typically focused on pre-hospital factors -- bystander CPR education and improvement, public defibrillation programs, and quicker EMS response. But new research from the University ...
Study prompts new mandate for N.C. high schools
Mar 09, 2009 |
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A new study at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals that many N.C. high schools are not adequately prepared to handle the immediate medical needs of a student or employee who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest on ...
