What is Cardiac Arrest? Things You Must Be Aware Of?

Every year in the United States, more than 350,000 people experience a sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is when the heart activity suddenly and unexpectedly halts. When someone experiences a sudden cardiac arrest, they suddenly collapse, experience difficulty in breathing, and struggle to breathe or stop breathing. They also lose their consciousness and have no pulse at all. Nine out of 10 individuals who often experience a cardiac arrest outside the hospital die within minutes. Every minute of delay could lead to a patient’s chances of survival by 7-10 percent. Therefore, that is why it is essential to know some important things about sudden cardiac arrest to help with timely treatment and minimize the risks. 

In this blog post, we will throw light on what a cardiac arrest is and what are some of the important things one must be aware of. To create this post, the insights have been taken from Dr. Sujay Shad, who is considered the best cardiac surgeon in India and practices at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Let’s start by discussing what cardiac arrest is. 

What is a Cardiac Arrest? 

When the heart stops pumping blood suddenly, an electrical issue in the heart can lead to a sudden cardiac arrest. Within ten minutes, a sudden cardiac arrest will result in rapid death if it is not appropriately and promptly treated. The signs of a cardiac arrest are almost immediate. These include no breathing, loss of consciousness, no pulse, and sudden collapse. Other signs and symptoms that might occur before a sudden cardiac arrest include chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, vomiting, dizziness, etc. It requires urgent treatment to make sure the blood flow around the body is restored, and the heart starts beating again. 

Following are Some of the Important Facts About Cardiac Arrests 

1. A Sudden Cardiac Arrest is Different From a Heart Attack

Many individuals believe that heart attacks and cardiac arrest are the same thing. However, they are two completely different heart conditions. A heart attack refers to a blockage in the coronary arteries, which disrupts the blood flow. A sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical issue, instead of obstruction in its blood supply, in which the heart suddenly collapses, and the pulse completely stops. It is essential to understand the difference between the two so that the right treatment is initiated. 

2. The Lifestyle Determines the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest 

Not many individuals are aware that the risk factors of sudden cardiac arrest develop due to a sedentary lifestyle. The risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest include misuse of alcohol, increased cholesterol, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. It is therefore advised to have a healthy lifestyle and engage in physical activities throughout the day. Maintaining a healthy weight and routinely checking blood, sugar, and cholesterol levels are essential. Simultaneously, it is important to minimize alcohol and tobacco usage as they increase the likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest. 

For more tips on heart health, seek the help of a heart doctor. To do this, one can schedule an appointment with Dr. Sujay Shad, a famous cardiac surgeon in Delhi who practices at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

3. Family History

An individual who has a family history of heart ailments is often at a high risk of having sudden cardiac arrest. Besides that, if a person has a family history of heart conditions, the risk of sudden cardiac arrest doubles, and one must take extra care. Therefore, one must get into the habit of routine checkups to ensure the problem gets detected at an initial stage. This is because timely intervention plays a vital role in not only minimizing the risk factors but it helps in giving a new lease of life to the patient.

5. The Emergency Response Time for a Cardiac Arrest is Around 6-12 Minutes

When it comes to sudden cardiac arrest, a minute is fine, but they could simply die within the next minute. Although it is vital to call an emergency number, an average response tends to be around 6-12 minutes. Hence, everyone must be trained in CPR.

6. Fainting Can Be Fatal

Fainting is the first sign of a sudden cardiac arrest, which is often ignored by a majority of individuals. In case of a sudden cardiac arrest, the sudden loss of consciousness often happens when the heart stops beating abruptly. Before fainting, many people often experience a racing heart or dizziness. Prior to a cardiac arrest, some people could also experience pain in the chest, shortness of breath, and vomiting. Therefore, it is best not to ignore loss of consciousness and seek the help of a cardiac surgeon as soon as possible.

Conclusion

We hope through this post, you have understood what a cardiac arrest is and what are the vital things you should be aware of about it. If someone faces sudden loss of consciousness or dizziness, they should not ignore them and seek the help of a cardiac doctor right away.

One can consult Dr. Sujay Shad, a leading heart surgery specialist in Delhi at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital who specializes in performing a wide range of heart procedures such as heart transplants, HOCM, bypass surgery, and many more at the hospital.

To learn more about these procedures or to know how much heart surgery cost in Delhi, pay a visit to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital today.

Heart Valve Disease: Causes and Symptoms

Heart valve disease is when one or more heart valves do not work correctly. The valves are responsible for keeping blood flow moving forward in one direction. They also prevent the backward flow of blood as it leaves each heart chamber. The four heart chambers include two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). Additionally, the four valves are tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valves. We get many questions on what heart valve disease is, their causes and their signs and symptoms. We have attempted to cover all this in this post. 

To provide readers with a better understanding of heart valve disease, we have drafted this blog by taking references from famous heart specialists, like Dr. Sujay Shad. He is renowned for performing the best heart valve surgery in Delhi at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. By reading the complete blog, one will fully understand the symptoms and causes of heart valve disease in detail. So, let’s begin discussing. 

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease? 

Heart valve disease may not show symptoms sometimes. The following are some common symptoms experienced by individuals with heart valve disease. However, every individual varies and may experience different symptoms. The signs can vary depending on the type of heart valve disease and may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Pain in chest
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Swelling
• Migraine headache
• Low or high blood pressure depending on which valve disease is present
• Pain in the abdomen due to enlarged liver

If one is experiencing the above symptoms, it might indicate a heart valve disease. For this, individuals must seek medical attention right away. One can consult the expert heart doctor in Delhi, Dr. Sujay Shad, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. The adept heart doctor will perform several tests to confirm the diagnosis. 

What Causes Heart Valve Disease? 

The following are the causes of heart valve disease: 

• Changes in heart valve structure due to aging 
• Heart attack or coronary artery disease 
• Infection in heart valve 
• Birth defects 
• A sexually transmitted infection 
• An inherited connective tissue disorder which weakens the heart valve tissues
• Medicines 
• Radiation therapy aimed at the chest wall which treats lymphoma
• Having a history of rheumatic fever 

Note: One must understand that heart valve disease can occur due to two main types of problems including: 

Leakage of Valve (Regurgitation): When the valve does not complete properly, it causes the blood to flow backwards through the valve. This reduces the blood flow and leads to volume overload in the heart. 

Narrowing of the Valves: When the opening of the valves becomes narrowed, it limits the blood flow out of the ventricles or atria. This way, the heart is forced to pump blood with more force to move blood through the narrowed valve. 

How is Heart Valve Disease Treated? 

The treatments for heart valve disease include the following: 

1. Medicines: Medicines can help ease heart valve disease symptoms but are not a permanent cure. Digoxin, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers are all beneficial in regulating heart rate and stopping unstable cardiac rhythms. Vasodilators and diuretics are two other medications that can lower blood pressure. The medicines might not work if one has a narrowed heart valve. If the valve does not open, one might require valvuloplasty or transcatheter replacement surgery.

2. Surgery: Surgery is needed to replace or repair the damaged valve. In most situations, own tissues are used. When the heart valves are damaged severely, they must be replaced with new ones. The replaced valves include tissue (biologic) valves, animal valves, or donated human valves.

3. Transcatheter Procedure: These are minimally invasive procedures. During this procedure, the heart doctor replaces the heart valves. It is done through an artery (for the aortic valve) or a vein (for the tricuspid, pulmonary, or mitral valve).

4. Heart Valve Repair: This repair is performed for the mitral valve. A clip can be used to prevent blood from leaking through the mitral valve.

5. Balloon Valvuloplasty: During this procedure, a hollow tube known as a catheter is put in a blood vessel and the heart. A deflated balloon at the catheter's tip is placed into the heart valve. The balloon is inserted, inflated to expand the valve, and then removed. The procedure is only used for treating stenotic (narrowed) valves.

6. TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement): A new aortic valve is placed inside the previous valve to perform this procedure. This can be done using catheters, wires or balloons, which are inserted in the arteries of the groin. The process can also help replace heart valves that leak or become narrow over time.

Conclusion 

Through this blog, we hope you understand heart valve disease, its symptoms, causes and effective treatment. If you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Sujay Shad, a famous heart specialist, at the renowned hospital Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. 

He also performs a range of other heart procedures at the hospital, such as coronary bypass surgery, aortic surgery, heart transplants, bypass surgery and many more. Dr. Sujay Shad is also widely recognized as the best bypass surgeon in Delhi. Consult the expert heart doctor, Dr. Sujay Shad, for more details on these procedures at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.