On the 25th of February morning, we heard that we lost the legendary actor, Sri Devi. As per the first report, she died of sudden cardiac arrest and this cause of her death changed later on. To make you aware of this deadly disease, I at Stay Young & Healthy am going to mention what sudden cardiac arrest is, what its signs & symptoms, its risk factors and what the first aid is to be done.
What is a sudden cardiac arrest?
A sudden cardiac arrest is an astonishing and immediate loss of the heart function, consciousness and breathing. A sudden disturbance stops the heart from functioning and this leads to an interruption in pumping the blood. Due to this, the supply of the blood to other body parts gets interrupted. A prompt and immediate medical attention is the need for a sudden cardiac arrest. Any delay in medical attention and proper care causes sudden cardiac death.
Difference between heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest
In the heart attack, there is no blood supply to a portion of the heart and this leads the muscles to have injuries. Sometimes, it can trigger a sudden cardiac arrest.
In a sudden cardiac arrest, the pumping of the blood gets interrupted and the person loses its consciousness and breathing causing to death.
The signs and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest
No disease comes without any warning. Every problem in our body gives us a signal. However, the sign may be slight. Doctors say that such an arrest may totally come without any warning. A recent study has made some establishments regarding the symptoms of this deadly disease. Here are some symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest:
- Heart palpitation
- Chest pain that can occur earlier
- A general sense of fatigue
- The dizziness that does not go away easily
- Shortness of breath
Heart attack and cardiac arrest symptoms in men and women
Men and women have some different symptoms. Some of the symptoms are common in both. Some symptoms are in men, but not in women. The cardiac arrest symptoms in women are very slight and here are some differences:
- Men have tight artery blockage, but women don’t have
- Chest pain in women may not be primary and it may be accompanied by pain in back, shoulders & neck, fatigue and nausea.
- Cardiac arrest symptoms in women are more ambiguous
Risk factors
Many lifestyle risk factors can trigger the chances of a sudden cardiac arrest. Some risk factors are as follows:
- Smoking
- No or very less physical activity
- Hypertension
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol level
- Diabetes
- Obesity/overweight
First aid that must be given to a sudden cardiac arrest patient
- Administer immediate medical support
- Call a doctor soon
- The doctor will treat the patient by administering CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or defibrillator
- Start giving chest compressions to the patients until a doctor comes or you hospitalize him/her for medical help