Disclaimer: While this information is being put out to help, it is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more information.
Sudden cardiac arrests contribute to 10.3 percent of deaths in India.
Dr Subash Chandhar (MD) (DM), a practicing cardiologist at the Venkateswara Hospital, Chennai, helps us understand the reasons for this, as well as symptoms and prevention.
“A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops working. Medically, any person eventually will cease to live when the heart stops. The heart-stopping is the finality.”
Clarifying a general misconception, he says, “Heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same. During a heart attack, the patient’s heart loses the ability to pump blood only partially and continues with lower efficiency allowing the first hour for medical aid.”
A cardiac arrest, on the other hand, can happen due to any number of reasons—for example, a fracture which leads to blood loss, due to an accident. It can also be asymptomatic and the heart could suddenly stop.
Some of the symptoms that he advises to watch out for include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, racing heart, vomiting, nausea, sweating, dizziness, etc.
The symptoms of both heart attack and cardiac arrest are similar, except that during a cardiac arrest, a patient might experience a lack of pulse and unconsciousness.
Dr Chandhar advises checking the pulse of the patient immediately after they experience a cardiac arrest.
He says, “The next thing is to start CPR with periodic breathing, provided you have a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Continue doing this until an ambulance reaches you.”
He says, “The next thing is to start CPR with periodic breathing, provided you have a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Continue doing this until an ambulance reaches you.”
“It is easier to prevent these diseases than cure them. So please believe in prevention being better than cure. Identify health conditions early on and start treating them,” he advises.