Sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac arrest is condition when the heart stops beating suddenly. This condition can be characterized by loss of consciousness and breathing stops.
This condition occurs due to electrical disturbances in the heart, which causes the heart's pump to stop. As a result, blood flow throughout the body also stops.
Sudden cardiac arrest can cause permanent brain damage and even death. Therefore, this condition needs to be treated as soon as possible. Immediate help in the form of CPR and cardiac arrest can help prevent these consequences.
Causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
In contrast to heart attacks caused by blockage of blood vessels, sudden cardiac arrest is caused by heart rhythm disturbances, specifically ventricular fibrillation disease.
Ventricular fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that makes the heart's ventricles only vibrate instead of beating to pump blood, causing the heart to stop suddenly.
Sudden cardiac arrest is more at risk in people who have had a previous heart disease, such as:
- Coronary heart disease
- Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy)
- Heart valve disorders
- Congenital heart disease
- Marfan Sindrom syndrome
In addition to suffering from heart disease, a person will be more at risk of sudden cardiac arrest if:
- Be over 45 years old (male) or over 55 years old (female).
- Have a family history of heart disease.
- Rarely exercise and not actively moving.
- Have a smoking habit.
- Abusing drugs such as cocaine or amphetamines.
- Experiencing obesity.
- Have high cholesterol levels.
- Have high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Suffering from diabetes.
- Experience sleep apnea.
- Suffering from chronic kidney failure.
Symptoms of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
A person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest will lose consciousness and stop breathing. Although not always, a few days to a few weeks before sudden cardiac arrest, symptoms may include:
- Dizzy
- Throw up
- Feeling tired
- Chest pain
- Heart beat
- Hard to breathe
When to go to the doctor
Sudden cardiac arrest is an emergency that needs to be treated as soon as possible. Although often sudden cardiac arrest occurs without warning, sometimes patients can experience early symptoms several days or weeks earlier.
Therefore, immediately consult a cardiologist if you experience the initial symptoms as above, especially if you have suffered from heart disease before.
If you see someone who is unconscious and not breathing, call for help immediately and check for a pulse in the neck. If the pulse is not felt, immediately perform first aid in the form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), also known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This action is important to support the pumping function of the heart and provide rescue breaths.
If available, use an automatic cardiac shock device (AED) according to written instructions, until an ambulance arrives. If you can't do CPR, find someone who can do CPR.
Diagnosis of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
When the patient arrives at the hospital, the doctor will check whether the patient is breathing and has a heartbeat or not. The doctor will also install a monitor to see the heart rhythm.
The doctor will treat it first until the patient's condition is stable or his heart beats again and breathes again, before carrying out further examinations.
After the patient's condition is stable, the doctor will perform a series of tests to find out the causes and factors that trigger sudden cardiac arrest. The tests include:
- blood test
This test is done to look at body chemicals that affect heart function, such as potassium, magnesium, or hormone levels.
- Photo X-ray
A chest X-ray is needed to check the size and structure of the heart and its blood vessels.
- EchocardiographyCardiac ultrasound or echocardiography can help doctors identify parts of the heart that are not functioning properly or are damaged, through sound waves.
- Cardiac catheterizationIn cardiac catheterization, the doctor will inject a special dye in the blood vessels leading to the heart, to see if there is a blockage.
- Nuclear scanThis test is done to check for disturbances in the heart's blood flow and heart function, using radioactive materials.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Treatment
If you find a patient who is unconscious, check the chest movement to see if the patient is breathing or not. Then check the pulse in the neck. If the patient is not breathing and there is no pulse, it means he is in cardiac arrest.
Call for help immediately and perform CPR. If you can't do CPR, find someone who can do it. If available, use an automatic cardiac shock device (AED) as directed, until medical personnel arrive.
After the medical staff arrives and the patient is still unconscious, his breathing and pulse will be checked again. If the patient's heart is still not beating, the medical team will perform CPR and give electric shocks during the trip to the hospital. Sudden cardiac arrest that occurs in a hospital is usually code blue.
After the heart beats again, the patient needs to be treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). If necessary, a breathing apparatus will be installed. Doctors will carry out further treatment to prevent sudden cardiac arrest from happening again, as well as treat the cause.
The following is a series of treatment measures that can be given by a cardiologist to prevent cardiac arrest from happening again:
- DrugsDoctors will give drugs when the patient is stable to long term, depending on the patient's condition. For example, the patient will be given antiarrhythmic drugs to treat heart rhythm disturbances.
- Implant tool heart shock (ICD)
The ICD will be placed inside the left chest to detect the heart rhythm and automatically give an electric shock when needed.
- Heart ring placement (coronary angioplasty)The doctor will open the blockage in the arteries of the heart and put a ring to keep the blood vessels open.
- Cardiac ablation (radiofrequency catheter ablation)Cardiac ablation procedures are performed to block the pathways of electrical current in the heart that cause arrhythmias.
- Operation bypass heartOn operation bypass heart doctors will install new blood vessels in the heart, as an alternative way of blocked blood vessels.
- Heart repair surgery or corrective heart surgeryThis procedure is performed to correct congenital heart defects, or repair and replace damaged heart valves.
In addition to medication and surgery, doctors will also ask patients to change their diet and exercise regularly, according to their health conditions.
Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, whether or not you have a history of heart disease, although people with heart disease are more prone to it. Therefore, to prevent sudden cardiac arrest, adopt a lifestyle that is good for heart health, such as:
- Do not smoke.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Avoid consumption of high-fat and high-salt foods.
- Exercise regularly.
- Manage stress well.
- Avoid consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Carry out regular health checks.