Over 300,000 people, including nearly 10,000 youth and young adults are victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) each year and very few survive. In fact, if not treated within minutes, nine out of ten out-of-hospital SCA victims die. The odds are better, if the incidence of SCA takes place in a hospital, health club, school or workplace where there are people nearby trained to know the signs and treat SCA victims quickly.
Knowledge is power. Knowing what is SCA and what you can or should do about when it happens can save lives, perhaps the life of someone close to you.
What Is SCA?
Sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. In a heart attack, blood flow to the heart muscle is obstructed by blockage, even though the heart may continue beating. In an SCA event, the heart actually stops working abruptly, often without warning. What happens is a breakdown of the heart’s electrical system responsible for the rate and rhythm of heartbeats. Specific types of arrhythmias (i.e. fast, slow or irregular heartbeats) can cause pumping of blood to suddenly stop, resulting in a lack of blood flow to the brain and other vital organs and causing death.
What Are the Causes of SCA?
The major cause of sudden cardiac arrest is a condition called ventricular fibrillation or v-fib. In v-fib, the heart’s lower chambers or ventricles, failing to beat normally, quiver rapidly and irregularly. As a result, the heart is unable to circulate enough blood to the body, which can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Other causes of SCA include:
Coronary heart disease,
Severe physical stress,
Certain inherited disorders,
Structural changes in the heart.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries, restricting oxygen-rich blood to the heart. A recent heart attack as a result of an arterial blood clot increases the risk of SCA. A heart attack replaces healthy heart cells with scar tissue. This scar tissue interferes with the heart’s electrical system, resulting in risky arrhythmias and possibly SCA.
Many adult victims of SCA have a history of CHD. However, many other SCA victims have no previous SCA symptoms. One study, for example, found that women victims of SCA had far less diagnosed CHD than men. This may be one barrier stopping many women from knowing more about their risk of SCA and taking preventive measures.
Specific types of extreme physical stress can also cause a failure of the heart’s electrical system. They include:
Extreme physical exertion,
Dietary deficiencies of potassium or magnesium,
Excessive blood loss,
Acute lack of oxygen.
Arrhythmias are frequently genetically inherited, putting certain families at a much higher risk for SCA. These disorders are often the source of childhood SCA.
Structural changes to the heart are another common cause of SCA. Over time, high blood pressure, heart infections and advanced heart disease can cause an enlargement of the heart, which may interfere with the normal electrical functioning.
More men than women and more blacks and Hispanics than whites are at risk for SCA. Of course, people with either a personal or family history of heart disease (heart attack or heart failure), as well as others with high heart disease risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.) have an increased risk of SCA.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of SCA?
It was once thought there were no early warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest. SCA just happened with little to no warning and there was nothing to be done since there was little time to intervene. That point of view is rapidly changing as more research is being conducted and more is learned from the survivors of SCA.
It is now known that in about half of the cases, patients may be getting warning signs as long as a month before the heart stops and in almost all cases, symptoms start to show up 24 hours before an SCA event. That’s more than enough time to get help, if you know what to look for.
In the 24 hours before SCA, some of the more common early warning signs are a racing heartbeat or a feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness. Within the last hour before SCA, many victims suffer chest pain, shortness of breath and unexplained nausea or vomiting. It’s vital to get help ASAP at the first sign of trouble. It can save your life or the life of someone you know and love.
How to prevent SCA
Since prevention of SCA for anyone with a heart condition or a family history of SCA or coronary heart disease requires medical intervention, it’s recommended that anyone who fits into one or more of these categories see a physician to get the help they need.
However, everyone, including those people under a doctor’s care, should be living a healthy heart lifestyle. Heart disease is a killer. In fact, it’s the number one killer of women in the U.S., taking more women’s lives than the next sixteen causes of death put together. So everyone should be on a heart disease prevention program.The good news is that heart disease can be prevented. Here are the steps to take:
Eat a healthy heart diet,
Exercise on a regular basis,
Maintain a healthy weight,
Mange daily stress,
top smoking and limit alcohol intake.
Taking these simple steps may seem challenging, but it’s not only possible; it’s worth all of your time and effort. Living a healthy lifestyle is the secret to the “fountain of youth.” Healthy people live longer, have a much higher quality of life as they age and require far less medical intervention and care in their old age. That’s a lot of benefits.
First Aid for SCA
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to just about anyone, anywhere, anytime, so it pays to “Be Prepared.” The first thing to do is call 911 immediately. Every second counts. Next check for signs of life – breathing or pulse. Then do something. Don’t be afraid to do something wrong. If the SCA victim is clinically dead, you can’t hurt them, right?
If you know CPR and/or how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), get yourself into action right away. If you don’t know about CPR and AED, consider checking with the American Heart Association for a local training center. But even if you have no formal first aid training, you should start to push hard and fast on the chest of the victim and continue doing it until professional EMS help arrives. Know that you can only help, not harm.
Sudden cardiac arrest can be terrifying and extremely deadly. Don’t be caught off guard. Be ready, willing able to get into action ASAP. Be a lifesaver, not a bystander.
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