DR. SYLVESTER IKHISEMOJIE FROM THE PUNCH
Of late, there has been a lot of concern raised in public and in private conversations often among peers and associates about the meaning of this condition and what it even represents. There are many such people who believe that cardiac arrest is a disease on its own, while others believe that is a condition that can be diagnosed with some ease, it ought to be treatable.
In one famous local poser, one anxious reader asked whether this cardiac arrest cannot be arrested by deploying the relevant antidote to it. The fact of the matter is that none of these postulations about the condition is the truth.
Cardiac arrest is often a sudden occurrence that results when the electrical circuitry of the heart malfunctions and causes the organ to stop beating. When this happens, the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the various organs and tissues such that death results within a few minutes if immediate intervention is not available.
In our society, given the alarming rate of illiteracy and profound lack of awareness of even the most mundane of health issues, this event is likely to progress rapidly to death. In our hospital settings, where the challenge of adequate staffing especially amongst nurses, is scandalous at best, this is a condition that often goes undetected and undiagnosed with the eventual diagnosis being made post-mortem on most occasions. It is important to understand that the heart is made up of an electrical part and a mechanical part, which is represented by the muscle component of this remarkable organ.
We have discussed the features of the heart before on this page and described how this organ starts to beat from about the sixth week of pregnancy until a person dies. For the most part, the heart beats at a regular pace, described per minute, for all these years with a few seconds to rest in-between heart contractions in this entire length of time.
During times of intense physical activity or fear or as a response to injury and illness, the rate increases with a commensurate reduction in the length of time the heart can spend at rest. The mechanical aspect is usually unable to function properly without the electrical component. This latter aspect is not imaginary; it is demarcated by proper joints and wiring similar to what you might find in any kind of electrical component designed by man. This intricate wiring is neatly blended into the structure of the heart itself such that when it encounters problems at any stage during our lifespan, there are consequences for the owner.
Disruptions to these electrical connections will cause irregular heartbeats, which in turn will lead to cardiac arrest. This situation of having an irregular heartbeat is known as cardiac arrhythmia. There are different types of cardiac arrhythmias and while several types may cause no symptoms at all, others can cause death. A cardiac arrest in any living thing will cause the heart to stop beating.
This is different from a heart attack which occurs when a blood vessel in the heart becomes blocked such that oxygen is not able to reach the relevant muscles. This damages the heart’s tissues but may not cause death. The phenomenon of a cardiac arrest follows a certain pattern which begins with a fainting attack or dizziness and loss of consciousness. Then the heart begins to race at a very fast rate and may have some associated chest pain. There is then an onset of nausea and this may be accompanied with or without vomiting. The breathing becomes short. This series of events occurs suddenly often without warning.
However, when a person has experienced one or more heart attacks in their lifetime, their risk of developing a cardiac arrest is much higher than for anyone who has not. As stated earlier, most incidents of cardiac arrest occur as a result of an arrhythmia. The most potent of these arrhythmias is called ventricular fibrillation, a severe type of arrhythmia. This situation causes the heart’s chambers to beat in an inefficient and chaotic manner such that it is not able to pump blood to the rest of the body.
While this is the case in many situations in our lives, there are some conditions that make cardiac arrest more likely in different people. Severe blood loss during an operation or serious injuries sustained in an accident of any kind often leads to this sad event.
The same outcome is true for lack of oxygen. The other cause is intense physical exercise in people who have some hidden heart problems that have not been previously diagnosed. Besides, ischaemic heart disease is another health condition that occurs due to the formation of plaques inside the arteries which restrict the lumen of the vessels and eventually cause the blood to stop flowing normally.
Furthermore, abnormal levels of either potassium or magnesium can lead to cardiac arrest and this results either when the values are too low or too high. Finally, the use of certain hard drugs as we often call them, stimulants in other words, such as amphetamines, can cause this malady.
So, the abuse of these and similar substances like cocaine and heroin often results in these sorts of situations. It is no wonder, then, that many high-profile deaths in the entertainment industry and amongst youngsters in several advanced nations can also be traced to these indulgences. In the final analysis, all deaths will probably occur due to cardiac arrest, and among the elderly, this is often the most common cause of death.
Usually, the death certificate will probably state that the deceased died of old age or natural causes. As a result of what we know above, it is substantially possible to prevent this sudden cause of grief. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a moderate weight, regular exercises and not smoking are some of the ways to prevent this problem.
