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Ways To Handle A Victim Involved In A Sudden Cardiac Arrest

A sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the ticker that causes an irregular heartbeat/arrhythmia. It becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood to the vital organs like brain, lungs, etc. with its pumping action disturbed, thus leads to the victim becoming unconscious and having no pulse. The victim would need immediate treatment or death can occur within minutes.

Fortunately, cardiac arrest if treated within a few minutes, is reversible in most victims. If you come across an SCA victim, the first thing that must be done is to call 911 for the emergency medical services. Search for an Automated External Defibrillator (available in most public places) and use it as soon as you get hold of one. Start performing the life-saving CPR right away and continue until the arrival of the emergency medical services. CPR comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths. 

Proper application can revive the life of an SCA victim by normalizing the abnormal rhythm. Select an accredited training site for acquiring CPR training, such as the AHA certified CPR Tampa in Palm Harbor. Become certified at the end of the training classes after successfully passing a written exam and skills test.

At the emergency site, if there are two people available- one should begin CPR while the other calls 911 and looks for an AED.

Diagnosis:
Your healthcare provider will try to learn what caused an SCA in the first place (if you’ve survived one) to help prevent future episodes, which is possible to know through a few tests, such as
1.      Electrocardiogram (ECG)
2.      Imaging tests, such as chest X-ray, echocardiogram, nuclear scan, coronary catheterization (angiogram).
3.      Blood tests

Treatment Options:

1.      CPR

2.      Defibrillation that includes delivery of an electric shock through the chest wall to the ticker to normalize an abnormal rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation (a type of arrhythmia that can cause sudden cardiac arrest).

3.      The medical staff in the emergency room will work to stabilize condition of the victim and treat a possible heart failure and heart attack.

4.      Some of the preventive treatment options to reduce your risk of another cardiac arrest include implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), coronary angioplasty, coronary bypass surgery, radiofrequency catheter ablation, corrective heart surgery, and usage of various anti-arrhythmic drugs by doctors for emergency or long-term treatment of arrhythmias or potential arrhythmia complications.

Points to be noted:

When performing CPR, push down at least two inches at a rate of 100 to 120 pushes a minute in the center of the chest, and allow the chest to come back up to its normal position after each push. Keep pushing until the person starts to breathe or move, or until an EMS team member takes over. 30:2 is the ratio at which chest compressions and rescue breaths should be performed.

Contribute towards the safety of cardiac arrest victims by getting CPR trained. Stay equipped to face out-of-hospital cardiac emergencies efficiently.
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