Cardiac arrest: What to know, what to do 

In emergency, perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

In today’s Nigeria, it is common place for the electricity to go off without notice, especially when you are in the middle of something very important that would need light to produce. Your first reaction would be panic before you quickly begin to think of what next to do. This is very similar in trying to explain sudden cardiac arrest. A lot of medical studies indicate that the heart is very much like an electrical pump, where the electricity is generated in special cells in the upper chamber of the heart. This electrical spark is carried through pathways in the heart so that all the muscle cells contract at once and produce a heartbeat. This pumps blood through the heart valves and into all the organs of the body so that they can do their work.
 Medical experts say this mechanism can break down in a variety of ways, but the final pathway in sudden death is the same: the electrical system is irritated and fails to produce electrical activity that causes the heart to beat. The heart muscle can’t supply blood to the body, particularly the brain, and the body dies.
What actually triggers a cardiac arrest? Dr. Ezekiel Ogunlewe, a chest surgeon with the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), who spoke with Sunday Mirror on this topic, expounded on what causes a sudden cardiac arrest, the importance of taking good care of the heart and the need to improve the heart care facilities in the country.
“In cardiac arrest, the victim may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease but the most common underlying reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease. Most cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death occur when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid in what we call ventricular tachycardia or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) or both. Some cardiac arrests are due to extreme slowing of the heart. This is called bradycardia. Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack that can cause cardiac arrest include respiratory arrest, enlarged heart, congenital heart disease, electrocution, drowning, choking and trauma. Cardiac arrest can also occur without any known cause,’’ he said.
Medical studies point out that the same factors that put a person at risk of coronary artery disease may also be the reason for sudden cardiac arrest. These include:
• A family history of coronary artery disease
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Drinking too much alcohol (more than one to two drinks a day)
• Age — the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest increases with age, especially after age 45 for men and age 55 for women
• Being male — men are two to three times more likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest
• Using illegal drugs, such as cocaine.
Dr Ogunlewe blamed the way society has embraced sedentary lifestyles as one of the major reasons why a lot of people are coming down with heart diseases unlike what was seen in this part of the world in the past. “Well, the advent of civilisation has brought with it added problems. You find out that people who grow up in the villages don’t
have these problems before; but civilisation has penetrated even into our villages so we suffer these cases now. Heart disease used to be a disease associated with the white people. It was not common in Africa but now we see it all because of our sedentary lifestyle. Also, what we eat in these modern times affect our heart a lot. A lot of fast foods have sprung up all over the country. We eat a lot of refined foods. Mothers are no longer preparing nutritional foods for their children at home. They give them snacks for lunch instead of cooked food that will help in their growth process and formation of blood. The foods we take are no longer farm fresh. We don’t eat fresh vegetables, fruits, and then we don’t exercise. Walking is a very good exercise for the heart. It helps to circulate blood all over the body and loose any blockage to the arteries that might lead to seizures,” he stressed.
Some of the sudden cardiac arrest symptoms include: sudden collapse; no pulse; no breathing and loss of consciousness. Sometimes, other signs and symptoms precede sudden cardiac arrest. These may include fatigue; fainting; blackouts; dizziness; chest pain; shortness of breath; weakness, palpitations or vomiting. But sudden cardiac arrest often occurs with no warning.
The expert said many of the problems that cause cardiovascular disease begin early in life. You can lower your risk of heart disease later in life if you start to practise good health habits now. A healthy diet, regular exercise, not smoking, reducing stress and alchol intake can greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack. These health habits are especially important if someone in your family has had a heart attack.
When someone develops a heart problem, how can he be helped by people around? The chest surgeon said: “It is very important you administer Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Quickly check the unconscious person’s breathing. If he or she isn’t breathing normally, begin CPR. If you don’t know CPR, just push hard and fast on the person’s chest, about two compressions a second or 100 a minute. Allow the chest to rise completely between compressions. You may need to administer oxygen by mouth resuscitation. Then take the person to the hospital immediately so they can find out what is wrong with the sufferer, he advised