People Tend to Ignore the Cardiac Arrest Signs

A new study done in Portland, Oregon, came to the conclusion that people tend to ignore the cardiac arrest signs. These signs can appear weeks or hours before the collapse. The study took place for more than a decade used medical record and interviews of the people who witnessed the collapse, of friends and also family.

Every year in the United States, approximately 350,000 people die due to cardiac arrest. When the cardiac arrest happens, the heart stops beating abruptly, and its electrical activity as well. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could be done and it might save some time. Last year, a national campaign that would learn people how to perform CPR  was urged by the Institute of Medicine.

Researchers say that half of the middle age patients had previous symptoms of cardiac arrest. One month before the cardiac arrest, breath shortness and chest pain were the symptoms that occurred most commonly

Data of 1,100 people who have suffered a cardiac arrest was used for the study. The people were aged between 35 and 65. For 30% of these people, the researchers didn’t find any proof of cardiac arrest symptoms. But the rest of the people experienced at least one symptom.  The shortness of breath was more common in women, while the chest pain was more common for men. Only 19% of them called for an ambulance and their chances of survival increased with 32%.

The lead author of the study, Doctor Sumeet Chugh, said that when the 911 call is being made, it is usually too late for 90% of the people. She said that if the signs are identified the first time they appear, a lot more people could prevent the cardiac arrest

Doctor Clifton Callaway from the University of Pittsburgh praised the study and said that this should bring more awareness of the high risks that the unidentified symptoms present. He said that shortness of breath or chest pain are not symptoms that should be ever ignored. Other symptoms include fainting, palpitations, vomiting, weakness and fatigue. Doctor Callaway says that if you feel some of these symptoms, you should go get checked out at a hospital’s emergency department, even if it happens in the middle of the night.

The problem is that sometimes cardiac arrest can happen suddenly, with no previous symptom. This can be increased by heart disease, disorders of the heartbeat or by anterior heart attacks. If you know that are at risk, you can get a defibrillator implanted, that will help your heart rhythm go back to normal.

As proved by this study, people tend to ignore the cardiac arrest signs and that can be most of the time fatal for them. If you experience any of these signs, don’t hesitate and go to the hospital.

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