Cardiac Arrest, treatment, and Remedies.

An overview of Cardiac Arrest-

A cardiac arrest occurs when there is a sudden and unexpected loss of heart function. This action occurs very abruptly and without any swift intervention can often result in a person’s death. The main symptoms are unconsciousness and being unresponsive.

The heart has an electrical system that controls the rhythm of your heartbeat. When a sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the working of the electrical system gets disrupted and causes irregular heartbeats. They can be of different types, some can be fast, some too slow, and an irregular rhythm. It may cause the heart to stop pumping blood altogether and this situation is typically known as a ‘cardiac arrest’.

The typical symptoms of a cardiac arrest include-

It should be noted that symptoms of a cardiac arrest are drastic and immediate and that includes-

• Sudden Collapse
• No breathing or pulse
• Unconsciousness

Identifying the symptoms of a heart attack-

Since a cardiac arrest precedes a heart attack there are possible symptoms you can identify. And the good news is in most cases, your body gives out signs of a heart attack.

The possible symptoms apart from the above-mentioned symptoms are-

• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
• Pain in one or both arms.
• Shortness of pain.
• Chest pain or feeling of tightness in the chest. (Normally happens due to reduced blood flow to the heart vessels.)
• Unexplained tiredness, nausea, or vomiting for no specific reason.

It should be noted here for the 4th point that chest pain may not necessarily involve a Heart attack. The doctor may perform angiography or angioplasty, bypass surgery, or other forms of heart surgery to treat the same.

Angiography-

The process of checking the arterial blood vessels for any kind of blockages in blood circulation is called angiography. Chest pain can be the result of reduced blood flow to the heart and the doctor will conduct certain tests to make sure whether it is a cardiac arrest or any other blockages.

Angioplasty-

In the event of any kind of blocked artery, the doctor may perform an angioplasty procedure to remove arterial blockages.

Bypass Surgery-

It is the procedure of treating the blocked arteries or the veins from the other parts of the body and using them to reroute the blood which surrounds the clogged artery to supply the blood flow to your heart muscle. It is one of the most effective and proven methods to manage the blockage of blood to the heart muscle.

Minimally Invasive Surgery-

An alternative to bypass surgery is minimally invasive surgery, where small incisions are made in the chest. Chest arteries or veins are attached to the heart to bypass the clogged arteries and the instruments are passed through the ports to carry out the surgery. This kind of surgery manages the blockages of the blood flow which improves the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. These are the surgeries these are typically certain procedures which will help the patient survive the heart attack if he receives medical help in time. Some of the above procedures can be performed within 3 hours of a heart attack.

Immediate measures to be taken if anyone has a cardiac arrest-

If you feel the above symptoms at any time, you need to immediately seek medical help. Chances are you are in a middle of a heart attack even though you may not even know it. And if left ignored then it can lead to a sudden cardiac arrest. You should immediately call your doctor or the nearest hospital and seek medical help. Until medical help arrives one can try doing CPR which is cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The procedure consists of doing chest compressions; you should position the hands on the top of the person’s chest, in the middle, and push hard and fast.

The Treatment-

• One needs to be treated immediately upon the onset of a cardiac arrest, or else it can worsen the situation. As mentioned above immediate CPR is expected within the first 8 minutes.
• After the patient is taken into medical care, the paramedics will use a machine called a defibrillator which sends an electric shock to the heart to regain its function and beat normally.
• Once a patient is hospitalized with a cardiac arrest the doctors will run several tests (ECG, blood tests, and cardiac markers) to understand the cause of a heart attack and any kind of possible above-mentioned surgeries.

Cardiac arrest is reversible in most cases if rapid medical help is taken. Do not try any home remedies or wait for symptoms to worsen more. Call your nearest emergency medical services or hospital in case of a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest.

Jehangir Hospital has the most efficient team that can handle such emergencies giving your loved ones a second chance at life. With successful cases and immediate emergency medical care available, we are proud of our knowledgeable and highly skilled staff. We have been the pioneers in treating complex cases of angiogram and angioplasty and helping our patients lead comfortable life.

With well-equipped labs, top critical care, and intensive care units, and in treating angioplasty and angiogram, we give our patients only the best in medical care.