Cardiac Arrest: Symptoms, Causes & Emergency Response

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Table of Content

What Exactly is Cardiac Arrest?
How Common is it in India?
Cardiac Arrest Causes and Risk Factors
How to Identify Cardiac Arrest Symptoms?
Emergency Response: How Can You Help?
Bottom Line
FAQs on Cardiac Arrest

“Heart attack” and “cardiac arrest” (although both scary phrases and often used interchangeably) mean different things. A heart attack is when the flow of blood to the heart muscle is blocked. On the other hand, a cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping suddenly and unexpectedly. While people generally know how serious a heart attack is, the latter is also a highly critical condition and requires immediate medical intervention as the blood supply to the brain and vital organs stops within seconds.Over the past few years, India has witnessed a noticeable rise in sudden cardiac arrests, which is attributed to unhealthy lifestyles, hidden health risks and stress. The concerning matter is that cardiac arrest symptoms show up without warning and demand prompt action. Owing to the nature of the risk, bystander knowledge becomes essential instead of just waiting for the emergency response team. With that in mind, understanding cardiac arrest causes, basic emergency actions, and knowing when to administer CPR can potentially save lives. This is even before professional care or medicines are administered.

What Exactly is Cardiac Arrest?

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions, preventing it from pumping blood. What follows is instant: the flow of blood to the brain and vital organs stops, within seconds, the individual stops breathing, and collapses, losing consciousness. This constitutes an urgent medical emergency, where every minute is crucial.

For starters, it is important to understand the difference between a cardiac arrest and two other conditions that are often confused with it, i.e., heart attack and heart failure.

A heart attack occurs when an artery is blocked, thereby reducing blood flow to the heart muscle. However, the heart usually continues to beat.
Heart failure is a condition wherein the heart does not pump as well as it is supposed to.
And finally, a cardiac arrest is sudden. Essentially, it is electrical in nature and is not caused by a plumbing issue.

Identifying cardiac arrest symptoms early on and initiating CPR or using an automated external defibrillator (AED) within 3–5 minutes increases the chances of survival dramatically. Although a heart attack could lead to an arrest, there are other cardiac arrest causes, such as arrhythmias, congenital defects or cardiomyopathy.

Emergency response could involve CPR, defibrillation, and later, specific medicines for the heart to stabilise rhythm and avoid recurrence. However, the outcome is often reliant on immediate action by bystanders.

How Common is it in India?

India is burdened with sudden cardiac arrests, with studies estimating nearly 7,00,000 deaths annually, which is a staggering 10% of all fatalities. Unlike a heart attack, which can result from blocked arteries, cardiac arrest causes are rooted in electrical disruptions of the heart. More than 90% of eventualities occur outside of a hospital, often at homes, offices or other public spaces, where immediate medical help is not readily available.

Another concerning factor is the age group that this condition is affecting. Previously, it affected people over the age of 50, but now, cases are being reported in urban adults as young as 30 to 40. There is an added challenge in rural regions because of delayed ambulance access and minimal availability of AED devices. Add to this insufficient public awareness of cardiac arrest symptoms and limited CPR training, which translates to a slow response rate, even before medicines are administered in hospitals.

Cardiac Arrest Causes and Risk Factors

As we learned earlier, a cardiac arrest occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions, thereby resulting in an irregular rhythm (often ventricular fibrillation) that keeps blood from being pumped effectively. Unlike a heart attack, this is not a circulation problem but an electrical failure.

Several cardiac arrest causes are associated with underlying heart conditions, such as:

Coronary artery disease: This is when arteries are narrowed owing to cholesterol buildup, which triggers dangerous rhythms.
Heart attack: Following a heart attack, damage or scar tissue could disrupt electrical pathways.
Cardiomyopathy and valve disease: An enlarged or weakened heart muscle results in increased instability.
Congenital heart defects: Structural problems that could be present from birth could trigger sudden events, even in young adults.
Inherited rhythm disorders: Disorders such as Long QT or Brugada syndrome disrupt the heart’s electrical signals.

There have also been instances of cardiac arrest without prior diagnosis. Some prevalent risk factors among Indians include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. Among young urban residents, additional factors such as stress, alcohol use, and stimulant drugs further heighten risk. Additionally, family history of sudden cardiac death and low potassium or magnesium levels also play a role.

Identifying cardiac arrest symptoms, such as if an individual suddenly collapses, experiences absence of breathing, and has no pulse, is critical for prompt action. Quick CPR and AED greatly improve chances of survival. Following this initial assistance, doctors may prescribe some medicines to stabilise the rhythm of the heart and manage conditions that increase vulnerability to future arrests.

How to Identify Cardiac Arrest Symptoms?

A cardiac arrest’s warning signs are both immediate and severe. They don’t develop gradually; instead, they appear within seconds. A person might collapse unexpectedly, lose consciousness, stop breathing and have no detectable pulse. These rapidly appearing cardiac arrest symptoms leave no time to “wait and watch,” making prompt action critical.

Here are some of the key cardiac arrest symptoms:

Collapsing suddenly
Not responding to shaking or shouting
Abnormal gasping or the absence of breathing altogether
No detectable pulse

Owing to its sudden nature, it is often confused with a heart attack, but as we have learned, the two are distinct. In the event of a heart attack, blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, which causes chest pain, discomfort radiating to the arm or jaw, sweating, and shortness of breath. Importantly, however, the heart is usually still beating during a heart attack. In contrast, the rhythm of the heart is abruptly stopped in a cardiac arrest, and there is no pulse or breathing. The person is almost instantly unresponsive.

Some people may experience mild warning signs shortly before collapse, such as palpitations, dizziness or chest discomfort. In most cases, however, cardiac arrest symptoms occur without any forewarning.

Making note of the difference is imperative: cardiac arrest is an electrical emergency that requires CPR and defibrillation within minutes, whereas heart attacks involve blocked arteries that need urgent medical care but not necessarily CPR. Understanding these differences can make bystanders act appropriately so the patient can receive timely treatment, once their condition stabilises in the hospital.

Emergency Response: How Can You Help?

When cardiac arrest symptoms show up, it is critical to act without delay. Chances of survival are heavily reliant on what bystanders do within the first few minutes. Here’s how help can be offered realistically:

Check Responsiveness and Breathing (Seconds Matter)
- Tap the individual on their shoulder and shout loudly to see if they are responding.
- Look out for normal breathing. If they are gasping or not breathing, it could indicate a cardiac arrest.
- If the individual is unresponsive and not breathing, act promptly. There is no time to wait for confirmation from the medical personnel.
Call Emergency Services
- Dial 108 (state ambulance) or 102 (National Ambulance Service).
- In metro cities, private hospital hotlines might be able to dispatch ambulances faster.
- Be clear when giving out the patient’s information, such as the location and the patient’s condition (unconscious, not breathing).
- CPR can help bridge the response time from the medical team.
Perform Hands-Only CPR
- Place your hands in the centre of the patient’s chest and lock your elbows.
- Push hard and fast: about 100–120 compressions per minute, and they should be 5 cm deep.
- Do not stop with the CPR until medical help arrives or the person starts breathing again.
If Available, Use an AED
- AEDs are sometimes found in airports, malls or corporate offices.
- Although AEDs are not difficult to use, some training can prove to be very helpful.
- Set it to ON and carefully follow the voice prompts.
- Attach the pads to the bare chest as shown in the diagram. The device would then analyse the rhythm and tell you if a shock is needed.
- Before pressing the “shock” button, ensure no one is touching the person.
- Then, resume the CPR.

It is important to avoid common myths during a cardiac emergency. Pouring water on the person, fanning them or immediately rushing to the hospital without performing CPR could lead to wasting critical time that could otherwise help in sustaining blood flow to the brain and vital organs. Many times, bystanders also hesitate in providing help out of fear of legal trouble. However, the Good Samaritan Law of India is designed to offer protection to anyone who assists during an emergency, thereby ensuring they are not held liable or harassed for trying to help.

With the help of quick CPR and AED, the chances of an individual’s survival are greatly increased, as it helps buy time until professionals arrive with advanced care and medicines.

Bottom Line

Cardiac arrest remains one of India’s most urgent health challenges. So, immediate identification of cardiac arrest symptoms and immediate CPR can save countless lives. Increasing public awareness is important for timely access to reliable treatment and heart medicines.

PlatinumRx makes it simpler for patients and caregivers to find reasonable substitutes and reliable medicines, delivered speedily across India. With informed choices and accessible healthcare, every step, whether it is prevention or post‑care, becomes more manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions on Cardiac Arrest

What is the main cause of cardiac arrest?

Electrical malfunctions are the most common cardiac arrest causes. These lead to irregular rhythms, especially ventricular fibrillation. These disruptions stop the heart from efficiently pumping blood.

Conditions such as coronary artery disease, previous heart attacks, cardiomyopathy or congenital defects may trigger this. However, cardiac arrest may occur in individuals without any known heart ailment.

Can I survive a cardiac arrest?

Yes, survival is possible if cardiac arrest symptoms are speedily identified and CPR or defibrillation is initiated within minutes. The chances of survival are doubled or even tripled when the right action is taken by the bystander. After resuscitation, doctors will often use heart medicines to stabilise the rhythm and prevent instances of recurrence.

Can we prevent cardiac arrest?

Although not all cases are preventable, managing risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and obesity can help lower the likelihood. Being aware of family history and doing regular health screenings also helps. Public CPR training and wider access to AEDs are both critical factors in lowering instances of deaths from cardiac arrest causes.

Can cardiac arrest happen to anyone?

Yes, cardiac arrest could affect any age group, including young adults and athletes. Although risk increases with age and underlying heart ailments, sudden electrical malfunctions mean even healthy persons could experience cardiac arrest symptoms without warning.