Cardiac Arrest ⋆ Meno Martha International Menopause Directory

“A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. When your heart stops pumping blood, your brain is starved of oxygen”.¹

Umbrella
What may the Cardiac Arrest Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

Cardiac Arrest
Myocardial Infarction
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

Definition

What is a cardiac arrest?

DotS the definition of a cardiac arrest may vary. The British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) definition is:

“A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. When your heart stops pumping blood, your brain is starved of oxygen. This causes you to fall unconscious and stop breathing”.²

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) definition is:

“Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. It can come on suddenly or in the wake of other symptoms”.³

Cardiac Arrest or Heart Attack

Is a cardiac arrest the same as a heart attack?

No. In Heart Attack or Sudden Cardiac Arrest: How Are They Different? the AHA elaborate on:

“People often use these terms interchangeably, but they are not synonyms. A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. A heart attack is a “circulation” problem and sudden cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem”.⁴

Cause

What causes a cardiac arrest?

In About Cardiac Arrest: Is A Heart Attack the Same As Cardiac Arrest? the AHA explain:

“Cardiac arrest may be caused by irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. A common arrhythmia associated with cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. In ventricular fibrillation, the heart’s lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don’t pump blood”.⁵

In Cardiac Arrest: What Causes A Cardiac Arrest? the BHF note:

“A common cause of a cardiac arrest is a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF)”.⁶

Ventricular Fibrillation

What is ventricular fibrillation (VF)?

In Cardiac Arrest: What Causes A Cardiac Arrest? the BHF elaborate on:

“VF happens when the electrical activity of the heart becomes so chaotic that the heart stops pumping, Instead, it quivers or ‘fibrillates’”.⁷

Health Care Provider

What if I think I could be at risk for a cardiac arrest?

If you think you could be at risk for a cardiac arrest, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. Together you can discuss your options and if required, agree on who may be the most appropriate health care provider to help you.

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics related to Cardiac Arrest?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Cardiac Arrest?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at: