What is a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?
SCA is a condition whereby the heart stops beating suddenly and unexpectedly due to a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system. The malfunction that causes SCA is a life-threatening abnormal rhythm, or arrhythmia. The most common arrhythmia is Ventricular Fibrillation (VF).
When in VF, the heart’s rhythm is so chaotic (called ‘fibrillating’) that the heart merely quivers, and is unable to pump blood around the body and brain. Once a heart has entered VF, sudden cardiac arrest may occur. A victim in SCA first loses his or her pulse, then consciousness, and finally the ability to breathe. All of this can happen in a matter of seconds.
SCA is not the same as a heart attack, although a person suffering a heart attack has an increased risk of SCA.
A heart attack can be thought of as a problem with the plumbing of the heart, a SCA is a problem with the electrical system of the heart.
What are the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest?
- Unresponsiveness
- Loss of consciousness
- Lack of pulse
- Cessation of breathing
- Ventricular Tachycardia
- Ventricular Fibrillation