It is not gainsaying that,
in life, prevention is more preferable to cure. But in most Third-World
countries, the latter appears to have gained ground. Such is the painstaking
issue of cardiac arrest (cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest).
As the name implies,
cardiac arrest have been erroneously used interchangeably with heart attack,
which is medically incorrect. A cardiac arrest is a result of heart attack,
where blood flow to the muscle of the heart is impaired. The coronary arteries
produce oxygen and blood to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart
is starved of oxygen; and the end result is the death of heart cells. This
process of arrested blood circulation leads to loss of consciousness, before an
encounter of abnormal or absent breathing.
The preventable state of
cardiac arrest is certainly cum potentially entangled in the cessation of
normal circulation of the blood, due to failure of the heart to contract
effectively. It can also be referred to as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
According to medical
statements, the most recurring and common factor that causes patients to die
suddenly from cardiac arrest is heat disease. Coronary heart disease is the
chief culprit. In the U.S. (2005), it claimed 445, 687 lives. we also have
alcoholic heart disease, congenital heart disease, hypertensive, valvular,
inflammatory, dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, to mention but a very few.
However, cardiac arrest is
unrelated to heart problems in 35% of cases. Some non-cardioac causes are
trauma, non-trauma-related bleeding (such as gastrointestinal bleeding, aortic
rupture and intracranial hemorrhage), overdose, drowning and pulmonary
embolism. On the other hand, the risk factors are smoking, lack of regular
physical exercise, obesity, diabetes and family history.
For the umpteenth time,
medical experts have revealed that the signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest can
be easily ascertained as evidenced by the absence of a palpable pulse. Prompt
intervention could reverse the case, but without such intervention, death is
certain. Sometimes, it is an expected outcome to a serious illness. Signs could
be coughing, chest pain, seating, short breath, anxiety, fainting,
light-headedness and etcetera.
The treatment for cardiac
arrest entails medical emergency, which is done via cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) to provide circulatory support, followed by defibrillation, if a
shockable rhythm is present. But if it is absent, after CPR and other
interventions, clinical death is inevitable.
CPR (Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation) is the act of engaging mannered chest compression and
mouth-to-mouth breath, 30 chest compressions to the heart and 2 mouth-to-mouth breaths.
While defibrillator is a CPR device that sends electric shock across the patient’s
chest. It is an act of using electricity to shock the heart back to life.
Moreso, the use of Aspirin, Thrombolytics, anti-hypertension drugs,
anti-cholesterol and etcetera, can be used for treatment after attack.
In the final analysis,
cardiac arrest can be proactively arrested by eating a balanced and healthy
diet, low intake of alcohol, keeping blood cholesterol at opium levels, plenty
of body exercise, good night rest, quit smoking, among others. A word ought to
be enough for the wise. Many people have missed their happiness in life, not
because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.
Horses for courses!
