What is Cardiac Arrest?

Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function. Cardiac arrest can occur suddenly and is often fatal.

Most events occur when a diseased heart’s electrical system malfunctions which causes ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.

Some cardiac arrests are also caused by extreme slowing of the heart’s rate.

Scarring of the heart tissue makes prone to develop life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. This may occur after a heart attack.

Thickened or diseased heart muscle can make you more prone to sudden cardiac arrest, especially if you also have heart failure.

Electrical abnormalities –long QT syndrome, may cause sudden cardiac arrest in children and young people.

Recreational drug use – can be associated with cardiac arrest in otherwise healthy people.

Survivors of cardiac arrest require a multidisciplinary team to conduct tests to investigate the cause and to focus on preventing organ damage.

Most patients will need an implantable defibrillator