Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a medical emergency. It happens when an event, usually an electrical disturbance, quickly and unexpectedly causes your heart to stop working. You get shortness of breath, collapse and lose consciousness.
Fast treatment is key to survival. The condition is called “sudden” because it seems to happen without warning.
But research published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine shows it may not be as sudden as typically thought.
They found some people experience warning signs such as chest pain or shortness of breath before SCA, but most of the time the symptoms are ignored. “The study shows close to half of the patients in the study reported symptoms within a month prior to their arrest,” says Mayo Clinic Cardiologist and Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Heart Clinic founder Dr Sharonne Hayes in the United States. “Some within 24 to one hour beforehand.
“It also shows that people who reported symptoms and then called for help were five times more likely to survive than those who didn’t.
“This is an important reminder to everyone to pay attention to symptoms, and if you have them, seek emergency medical care.”
Warning symptoms of SCA include:
• Chest pain or pressure that may radiate to shoulders, arm, neck or jaw
• Profuse sweating
• Palpitations or rapid heartbeats
• Profound fatigue
Symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest include:
• Sudden collapse
• No breathing
• No pulse
• Loss of consciousness
When in doubt about symptoms, seek help immediately. – Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service
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