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 What is Cardiac Arrest?
Cardiac arrest is a major, yet preventable cause of death in the United States and around the world. It claims approximately one life every 80 seconds. Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden loss of heart function due to a disruption of the normal heart rhythm. The victim quickly loses consciousness, and if not treated immediately, will die.
A cardiac arrest is different than a heart attack. A heart attack results from insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle. Most cardiac arrests, on the other hand, are due to an abnormal rhythm in the heart called ventricular fibrillation. When a cardiac arrest occurs, immediate treatment is essential to survival. The only treatment of cardiac arrest is defibrillation.
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