Cardiac Arrest (Nursing)

Excerpt

As defined by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, "(sudden) cardiac arrest is the sudden cessation of cardiac activity so that the victim becomes unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation. If corrective measures are not taken rapidly, this condition progresses to sudden death. Cardiac arrest should be used to signify an event as described above, that is reversed, usually by CPR and/or defibrillation or cardioversion, or cardiac pacing. Sudden cardiac death should not be used to describe events that are not fatal." Each year more than 400,000 Americans succumb to sudden cardiac death. Those suffering from cardiac arrest may or may not have previously diagnosed heart disease. The cause of cardiac arrest varies by population and age, most commonly occurring in those with a previous diagnosis of heart disease. Most of all cardiac deaths are sudden and usually unexpected, which has proven to be uniformly fatal in the past. However, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and advances within emergency medical services (EMS) have proven life-saving interventions. Despite this, approximately 10% of those suffering from cardiac arrest leave the hospital alive, most of which are neurologically impaired.