Sudden Cardiac Arrest
What is a
Sudden cardiac arrest is when the electrical activity of the heart suddenly stops due to a change in heart rhythm stopping blood being pumped around the body.
Cardiac arrest will cause an individual to pass out and not be responsive to touch or sound. Their skin may turn pale or blue and their breathing will be abnormal or stop altogether. Sometimes a person may gasp or make unusual noises or have spasm-like movement, which can be mistaken for a seizure.
What causes a
sudden cardiac arrest?
The exact cause for a person’s arrest can sometimes be identified and other times the exact cause remains unknown.
Some known causes of cardiac arrest include:
Abnormal heart rhythms
Arrhythmias
Conditions that affect the heart muscle
Cardiomyopathies
Blocked arteries
Coronary artery disease
Non-cardiac causes
That leads to lack of oxygen or blood supply to the heart such as asthma, choking, stroke, drug overdose or major physical trauma
Genetic/inherited causes
Inherited cardiomyopathy or inherited arryhhmias