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Understanding Cardiac Arrest Causes & Treatment

Cardiac arrest is the cessation of normal blood circulation due to the heart failing to contract effectively. It prevents oxygen delivery to the body and brain, causing loss of consciousness and abnormal or absent breathing within minutes without treatment. The main causes are coronary heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and non-ischemic diseases like cardiomyopathy or hypertension. Risk factors include smoking, obesity, diabetes, and lack of exercise. It is diagnosed clinically by the absence of a pulse and signs of circulation. Management involves cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, and therapeutic hypothermia to cool patients and protect the brain after circulation is restored.

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Ren Jye Chong
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49 views5 pages

Understanding Cardiac Arrest Causes & Treatment

Cardiac arrest is the cessation of normal blood circulation due to the heart failing to contract effectively. It prevents oxygen delivery to the body and brain, causing loss of consciousness and abnormal or absent breathing within minutes without treatment. The main causes are coronary heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and non-ischemic diseases like cardiomyopathy or hypertension. Risk factors include smoking, obesity, diabetes, and lack of exercise. It is diagnosed clinically by the absence of a pulse and signs of circulation. Management involves cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, and therapeutic hypothermia to cool patients and protect the brain after circulation is restored.

Uploaded by

Ren Jye Chong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Cardiac Arrest/Cardiopulmonary arrest/Circulatory arrest

Def:is the cessation of normal circulation of blood due to failure of heart to


contract effectively
-may be referred as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)
-different from heart attack where blood flow to muscle of heart is impaired
-it is a medical emergency

Pathophysiology
Arrest blood circulation
Prevents delivery of oxygen to blood
Lack of oxygen in brain cause loss of consciousness

Result in abnormal and absent in breathing


-brain injury caused when cardiac arrest goes untreated for more than 5 mins
Classification

Sign and symptoms


-absence of palpable pulse
-unconscious due to inadequate cerebral perfusion
-stop breathing
-prompt intervention can usually reverse a cardiac arrest

Cause
1.coronary heart disease (60-70%)
2.ischaemic heart disease (30%)
3.non ischaemic heart disease
Eg:cardiomyopathy,hypertension,heart disease,congestive heart
failure,coronary artery abnormal
4.non cardiac cause
Eg:trauma,GI bleed,aortic rupture,pulmonary embolism

Risk factor:
-smoking
-obesity
-diabetes
-lack of exercise
-family history
Diagnosis
-diagnosed clinically by absence of pulse
-absence of carotid pulse
-look for sign of circulation eg:coughing,gasping,twitching
-unconscious or not breathing normally
Management
1.cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
2.defibrillation
3.therapeutic hypothermia
-cooling of person after cardiac arrest with return of spontaneous circulation
but without return of consciousness
-patients are cooled over 24 hrs,with a target of 32-34 degree celcius

Prevention
-implantable cardioverter defibrillator

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