Essay Example on Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac Arrest is a common thing that strikes immediately without warning Sudden Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person It is the sudden stop in effective blood flow due to the failure of the heart to contract effectively According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute between 250 000 and 450 000 Americans have cardiac arrest each year The timeframe of when the person will die is unexpected The blood stops flowing to the brain and other organs Arrhythmias which are abnormal heart rhythms contribute to the heart being aggressive or not There are many symptoms of cardiac arrest There can be sudden collapse no pulse no breathing and loss of consciousness They often occur without warning It starts with the discomfort in the center of the chest that will last more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back There can also be pain or discomfort in one or both arms the back neck jaw or stomach 

Loss of consciousness or fainting is another symptom Some people may have a racing heartbeat or feel dizzy before they faint Shortness of breath will also occur with or without chest discomfort Some other symptoms include sudden loss of responsiveness no response to tapping on shoulders does nothing when you ask if they are ok no normal breathing and person is not breathing or is only gasping The basic cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease

Some people may not know they have it until the heart attack is present and is happening Ventricular fibrillation causes most cardiac arrests During a heart attack the ventricles do not beat normally They vibrate very fast and irregularly and the heart pumps little to no blood to the body Cardiac arrest can also occur if the rate of the heart’s electrical signs becomes slow and stops In my mentorship some people s heart is not strong so they have to use a breathing tank to help them regulate their breathing Sudden death is mostly caused by a heart disease The blood vessels narrow and the heart muscle can become irritated because of lack of blood supply In a heart attack blood vessel becomes completely blocked by a blood clot and there is enough irritability of the muscle to cause ventricular fibrillation Also many people with chest pain are admitted to the hospital to monitor their heart rate and rhythm for signs that might lead to ventricular fibrillation Sudden death may be the first sign or symptom of heart disease 

Congestive heart failure and heart valve problems like aortic stenosis also increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest Cardiomyopathy is a broad category of heart disease where the heart muscle does not contract properly

Often it is ischemic where part of the heart muscle doesn t get an adequate blood supply for a prolonged period of time and no longer can efficiently pump blood People whose ejection fractions is less than 30 are at greater risk for sudden death a normal ejection fraction is above 50 In some people cardiomyopathy may develop in the absence of ischemic heart disease Inflammation of the heart muscle known as myocarditis can also cause rhythm disturbances Diseases like sarcoidosis amyloidosis and infections can cause inflammation of the heart muscle Coronary Heart Disease plays a major factor in sudden cardiac arrest It happens when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries which supplies oxygen rich blood to your heart muscle The plaque then narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to heart muscle This will cause an area of plaque to eventually rupture Some heart muscle cells die and are replaced with a scar tissue and it damages the heart's electrical system 

Coronary heart disease is corresponds with age and is a lasting condition that affects the society The heart attack occurs when a blood clot entirely blocks the flow of blood and decreases blood flow to the heart muscle

Having a heart attack means that you have coronary heart disease The symptoms are CHD are chest pain people interpret it as a squeezing pressure heaviness tightening burning or aching across the chest It commonly begins behind the breastbone The discomfort usually expands to the neck jaw arms shoulders throat back or the teeth Sometimes physical stress can contribute to having a heart attack Doing intense physical activity will make the hormone adrenaline is released during intense physical activity There is also very low blood levels of potassium or magnesium major blood loss and lack of oxygen Also the tendency to have arrhythmias run in some families and is passed through genes An example of this is long QT syndrome which is a disorder of the heart's electrical activity The problems with tiny pores on the surface of heart muscle cells cause the disorder Some people choose to drink too much alcohol or smoke cigarettes to control their stress but these habits can increase blood pressure and damage artery walls And your body’s response to stress may be a headache back strain or stomach pains Stress can also strip your energy mess up your sleep and make you feel cranky forgetful and out of control A stressful situation will set off a chain of events Your body releases adrenaline a hormone that temporarily causes your breathing and heart rate to speed up and your blood pressure to rise When stress is constant your body remains in high gear off and on for days or weeks at a time Although the link between stress and heart disease isn't clear chronic stress may cause some people to drink too much alcohol which will increase your blood pressure and damage the artery walls