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CARDIAC ARREST- Everytime we hear this term a picture of a medical emergency comes in our mind but most of the time when a person is having cardiac arrest or showing symptoms of cardiac arrest it isn’t taken seriously because of unawareness among the general population. Sudden onset of attack requires immediate actions and protocols to be taken but unfortunately lack of awareness ,ignorance of symptoms may cost the life of our loved ones and post traumatic stress of seeing your loved one die in front of your eyes and not being able to do anything.

What is cardiac arrest?

Arrest means STOP , the heart suddenly ceases to beat results from disruption in the electrical system.This is known as cardiac arrest .

What causes the heart to stop beating ?

There are many factors which may lead to cardiac arrest. Most common are atrial or ventricular fibrillation or secondary to heart attack.

How can we identify early signs and symptoms?

Early signs before cardiac arrest are : ● Chest discomfort ● Shortness of breath ● Weakness or fatigue ● Fast Heart Beating ( palpitations) ● Dizziness ● Vomiting Emergency care must be given to someone who experiences signs of cardiac arrest include: ● Sudden collapse. ● No pulse. ● No breathing. ● Loss of consciousness.

RISK FACTORS: ● Obesity ● Smoking ● Sedentary lifestyle ● Male gender ● History of cardiovascular disorders ● Diabetes

What to do incase of cardiac arrest emergency ?

Time is the key in this emergency every second matters! If you see someone unconscious, not breathing properly with above mentioned signs. Don’t waste a second!

Call for an ambulance and reach hospital as soon as possible. ● Begin CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) immediately .If you haven’t been trained in CPR ,just continue chest compressions. Allow the chest to rise completely between compressions.Keep doing this until you get medical emergency service. ● Ambulance staff is mostly trained for these emergencies ,calling an ambulance is a better option than using local transport to deliver the patient to the hospital.

What if?

What if you had delayed leaving home? ● What if you had ignored early signs ? ● What if CPR had not been performed immediately ? ● What if ……… God forbade! the answer of all these if ,is so terrible that nobody would ever want to imagine not even for a second.

IRREVERSIBLE LOSS AND GRIEF.

By SAMAR HINA-Third year MBBS student JSMU.