How To Recognize A Person A Having Cardiac Arrest

Did you know that over 35,000 Canadians suffer from cardiac arrest each year? According to the Canadian Red Cross, around 70% of these cardiac arrests happen at home. Surviving sudden cardiac arrest is nearly impossible unless someone performs CPR or uses an automated external defibrillator (AED) combined with CPR. How can I tell if someone is experiencing cardiac arrest, though? There are many signs which will help you recognize cardiac arrest. 

Recognizing Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a different type of heart malfunction from a heart attack, and knowing the differences can help you save someone’s life if they suddenly suffer from this fatal condition. With a heart attack, the heart may continue beating, but the blood supply to it is compromised. In the event of sudden cardiac arrest, the heart suffers an electrical malfunction that causes it to completely stop beating. This abrupt stopping in the heart function leads to a loss in consciousness, breathing, and blood circulation. Immediate response is required to prevent structural damage to the organs, which quickly leads to death.

Warning Signs of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Typically, sudden cardiac arrests are unexpected. However, in recent studies of survivors of SCA, some common warning signs have been identified. Additionally, most incidents (but not all) precede, or are a result of pre-existing conditions of the heart like coronary, congenital, or valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart).

Risk Factors

• Family history of coronary artery disease
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Previous heart condition
• Ageing
• Use of illegal substances like amphetamines and cocaine
• Sleep apnea
• Chronic kidney disease
• Males are more at risk than females

Common warning symptoms

These are the warning signs survivors reported feeling before the SCA:

• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath without reason
• Chest discomfort
• Weakness
• Palpitations
• Seizures, especially in the arms or legs
• Feeling nauseous or vomiting up to one hour before the SCA

Signs of sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is easy to identify because the signs are immediate and severe. They include:

• The person collapses suddenly
• No pulse can be found
• There is no breathing
• The person is unconscious

How to Help Someone Experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

The fastest and appropriate medical care of someone suffering from sudden cardiac arrest offers them the best chances of survival. If treated within minutes, the condition is reversible. These are the correct steps to follow when seeing someone collapse suddenly: Step 1: After confirming the incident, call 911 for a medical emergency response team. If you are with someone else, get them to call while you attend the person. Step 2: If available, use an AED immediately. These are found at many public places like schools, sports centers, airports, malls, community centers, etc. Following the instructions, AEDs are easy to use, administer the shock. Follow with CPR for 2 minutes before another shock is delivered. This process is repeated until the responders arrive.   Step 3: If an AED is not available, start giving CPR immediately. Continue with it until emergency services arrive. Step 4: Hands-only CPR can also be performed at a rate of 100 compressions a minute by pressing down a minimum of 2 inches and allowing the chest to recoil fully.

Complications and Prevention

With sudden cardiac arrest, the blood flow to the brain is reduced to the extent that the person loses consciousness. It is important to get the heart rhythm to return to normal as quickly as possible, otherwise the person may experience brain damage, followed by death. Survivors of cardiac arrest who weren’t attended to immediately may show signs of brain damage. There are several things that people can practice to reduce their risk of sudden cardiac arrest. These include getting regular checkups, being screened for heart disease, and living a healthy lifestyle to ensure a healthy heart. We highly recommend completing a First Aid & CPR training course to learn more about emergency situations and how to handle them.