Sridevi died of cardiac arrest: What is it?
Bollywood' s Hawa Hawai girl Sridevi died unexpectedly late on Saturday night. She was in Dubai, attending her nephew's wedding. According to initial reports, it was cardiac arrest that killed her. She was 54 and in perfectly good health, which is what makes her death so shocking. What is cardiac arrest? Can it happen to anyone? Here, we answer all these questions and more.
It happens without warning, kills within minutes
Cardiac arrest can occur without any warning even in seemingly healthy people with no history of heart ailments. During cardiac arrest, the heart stops working because of malfunctions in its electrical system, which disrupts the pumping action and restricts blood flow to the rest of the body. As a result, the pulse drops, causing immediate unconsciousness and killing the person within minutes.
Heart attack is a major cause
Though several factors such as poor cardiovascular health, blockage in arteries and irregular heartbeats can lead to cardiac arrest, heart attack is a major cause. According to experts, in eight out of 10 cases, a heart attack is behind a cardiac arrest.
In most cases, there are no visible signs
In about 50% of cardiac arrest deaths, there are no forewarnings, symptoms or reasons. It all happens within a few minutes. However, the few discernible symptoms include poor breathing, no pulse, loss of consciousness and sudden collapse. But these are the end symptoms. Other signs, that often go unnoticed, include shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting, palpitations and unexplained fatigue.
What to do if someone suffers a cardiac arrest?
Every second is precious because unlike a heart attack where you have an hour to get help, everything happens within minutes during a cardiac arrest. Immediately call an ambulance and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until it arrives. For CPR, hard press on the patient's chest with hands at 120 compressions /minute.
Get cardiac tests done every year
Blockage in arteries, which is one of the many causes of cardiac arrest, starts showing symptoms only after going out of hand, at the danger point of 80-90%. About 25% people don't experience any sort of discomfort despite having severely major blockages. Considering this and that Indians are vulnerable to coronary artery diseases, it's advisable to get sophisticated cardiac tests done every year.
