Sudden cardiac arrest

• the sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Europe
• it is a condition in which the blood unexpectedly stops circulating, for whatever reason, through the systemic circulation
• it is a condition which requires immediate intervention from a bystander
• the sudden cardiac arrest leads to the loss of consciousness in 15 seconds
• the main symptoms of the sudden cardiac arrest are unconsciousness and the absence of normal breathing

Causes of the sudden cardiac arrest could be divided info:

• cardiac (primary)
  • the heart stops working correctly, e.g. due to some severe problems of heart rhythm induced by myocardial infarction
• non-cardiac (secondary)
  • it includes all causes except the cardiac ones; the most frequent ones are respiratory disorders (e.g. drowning, asphyxia = suffocation due to a deficient supply of oxygen)

For more details about the cardiac arrest, see Unit 2.