Everything You Need to Know About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest – an abrupt lost of heart function, breathing and consciousness – affects almost 350,000 Americans each year.

The outcomes are even more startling – around 90% of these cases are fatal.
Knowing the risk factors, signs and what to do if you encounter someone going into sudden cardiac arrest could mean the difference between life and death.
What are the causes?

Typically it happens because of a problem with your heart’s electrical system, which can disrupt the heart’s pumping and stop blood flow. It’s not the same as a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is physically blocked. But a heart attack can sometimes trigger an electrical disturbance, which leads to sudden cardiac arrest. If not treated immediately, this can be fatal.

“It’s one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.,” said Aneesh Tolat, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist with Hartford HealthCare’s Heart & Vascular Institute.

Click here to learn the warning signs and what to do next.