A cardiac arrest happens when the heart stops pumping blood into the body. It is something that can come off as sudden and unexpected. But in a recent study, it is found out that there are warning signs that should have been given much attention to.
With over 350, 000 victims each year, cardiac arrest has been one of the leading causes of death especially in adults. A team of researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, on the other hand, believes that there are warning signs that always seemed to pass unnoticed.
The team then conducted its study by monitoring sudden cardiac arrest cases in Portland, Oregon, for the past decade. The team interviewed the family and friends of the victims after they lost their consciousness. The team also tracked down their medical history.
After the study, the team members alter on finding out that more than half of the middle-aged patients during that time have experienced things like chest aches and the troubles in breathing as early as one month before the incident happened.
Some of the patients also experienced these signs 24 hours before the cardiac arrest took place. The team also noticed the pattern that most of the male participants experienced chest pains, while the women subjects were the ones who complained about breathing problems. Other reported symptoms were heart palpitation and fainting.
According to Dr. Sumeet Chugh of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, and lead study author, by the time that the victim or the family of the victim called for an emergency, the chances of living have already shrunk to as small as 10 percent. He further stated the importance of knowing the signs of a possible cardiac arrest. Some of these symptoms are chest pains, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and high blood level. He also suggested that once these signs were felt, it's important to have themselves checked out.
