Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
A Little Help Can Make A Big Change.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the electrical system to the heart malfunctions and heartbeat becomes very irregular and dangerously fast.
-The heart cannot carry out their normal function of pumping blood around the body.
-The person will lose consciousness immediately.
-Emergency treatment includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation.
-CPR keeps enough oxygen in the lungs and gets it to the brain until the normal heart rhythm is restored with a therapeutic electric shock to the chest (defibrillation).
-Without the intervention of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, death can occur within minutes.
An SCA can happen to anyone regardless of age and fitness level.
Other causes of cardiac arrest include:
Blunt blows to the chest (Commotio cordis)
Heart disease/conditions (causing cardiac arrhythmia)
Respiratory arrest
Electrocution & Choking
Catastrophic bleeding
Traumatic accident
DIAGNOSING CARDIAC CONDITIONS OF THE ELECTRICS OF THE HEART (CHANNELOPATHIES)
After a SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death) death, or the diagnosis of a channelopathy in the family, it is important that other family members who could possibly have inherited the same condition are identified and treated.
SADS UK was instrumental in bringing about a new chapter in the National Service Framework, NSF Chapter 8 Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death.
Tests to diagnose a cardiac condition which can affect the electrics of the heart.
Trudy Chapman: On 1st October 2011 I suffered a cardiac arrest at home. It was a normal Saturday evening; just like you all have – watching TV, dinner and a few glasses of wine.
Chris was working as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance when he suffered a massive heart attack which triggered a cardiac arrest.
In May 2017 my life changed forever, everything I believed in was challenged and now I’ve set myself some goals to help me feel like the old me, my new normal.
There was nothing unusual that happened beforehand. No warnings. I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary prior to the event. In fact, I had had a pretty quiet weekend.