Heart rhythm emergency topic
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Information in Reseda, CA
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart abruptly stops beating and circulation stops. It is different from a heart attack, though heart disease can raise risk. This page is educational. If someone collapses, call 911.
What sudden cardiac arrest is
SCA is caused by a problem with the heart’s electrical system. The most common cause described in recovered education is ventricular fibrillation: abnormal firing in the lower chambers so the ventricles quiver and do not pump.
Blood and oxygen do not reach the brain and other organs. The heart needs immediate emergency treatment, typically defibrillation, to try to restore a coordinated rhythm.
Who may be at higher risk
Recovered FAQ text stated that people who have survived a previous heart attack or who have been diagnosed with some form of heart disease are at risk for SCA. A reduced ejection fraction is another topic physicians may discuss.
Risk is individualized. This page cannot estimate your personal risk.
Symptoms
Recovered education listed sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, abnormal breathing, inability to find a pulse, and loss of blood pressure. SCA can also occur without warning.
These are emergency signs. Do not use this website to decide whether to call 911.
Emergency treatment
Immediate treatment is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an automated external defibrillator when one is available. Office appointments are not the response to collapse.
People recovering from SCA, or who a physician believes may be at risk, may later discuss an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Later evaluation and devices
After survival or when risk is being assessed, a cardiologist or electrophysiologist may review heart function, prior rhythms, and guideline-based options. ICD criteria involve medications, heart function, and history — those decisions require physician approval.
Our practice provides educational information and cardiac device-care questions. Call to ask whether evaluation is appropriate.
When to contact a physician
Call 911 for collapse or suspected arrest. For follow-up after a hospital stay or a referral in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley, call Cardiac Rhythm Specialists.