Cardiac Arrest → Heart suddenly stops pumping blood → Leads to unconsciousness & death if untreated.
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) → Death within 1 hour of symptoms due to a heart problem (mostly arrhythmias).
CAUSES OF CARDIAC
ARREST
• Common Heart Causes:
- Coronary Artery Disease (85%)
- Heart Attack (MI) → Scar tissue →
Arrhythmia
- Valvular Heart Disease (Aortic
Stenosis)
- Cardiomyopathies (Dilated,
Hypertrophic, ARVD)
• Electrical Causes (Arrhythmias):
- Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) →
Chaotic heart activity
- Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
→ Fast, No pulse
- Asystole (Flatline ECG) → No activity
- Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA) →
ECG normal but no pulse
• Other Causes:
- Electrolyte Imbalance (K+, Mg2+)
- Long QT Syndrome, Brugada Syndrome
- Severe Blood Loss, Hypoxia, Trauma
Mnemonic: "HEART BLOCK" (Causes of Cardiac Arrest)
- Heart Attack
(MI)
- Electrolyte
Imbalance
- Arrhythmias
(VF, VT)
- Restrictive
Cardiomyopathy
- Trauma,
Tamponade
- Blood Loss
- Lung Issues
(PE, Pneumothorax)
- Overdose
(Drugs)
- Congenital
Conditions (Brugada, WPW)
- K+
(Potassium Imbalance)
TYPES OF CARDIAC
ARREST RHYTHMS
|
Type |
Description |
Treatment |
|
Ventricular
Fibrillation (VF) |
Irregular,
chaotic heart beats |
Shock
(Defibrillation), CPR, Epinephrine |
|
Pulseless
Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) |
Fast,
ineffective beats |
Shock, CPR,
Anti-arrhythmic drugs |
|
Asystole (Flatline
ECG) |
No
electrical activity |
CPR, Epinephrine,
No Shock! |
|
Pulseless
Electrical Activity (PEA) |
ECG
normal but no pulse |
CPR, Identify cause
(4H’s & 4T’s) |
Mnemonic: "VF-VT Asystole-PEA" (Types of Cardiac Arrest)
HOW TO RECOGNIZE
CARDIAC ARREST?
Mnemonic: "PU-BED" (Signs of Cardiac Arrest)
- Pulseless
(No heart pumping)
- Unconscious
(No response)
- Breathing
Stops
- Eyes Fixed
& Dilated
- Death if
untreated
MANAGEMENT OF
CARDIAC ARREST
1. CHAIN OF
SURVIVAL
Mnemonic: "EARLY-4" (4 Steps of Survival)
- Early Recognition & Call for Help
- Early CPR (Chest Compressions)
- Early Defibrillation (Shock for VF, VT)
- Early Advanced Care (Hospital Treatment)
2. BASIC LIFE
SUPPORT (BLS) – CPR PROTOCOL
Mnemonic: "C-A-B" (CPR Steps)
- Compressions (Chest Pumps – 30x)
- Airway (Open it)
- Breathing (Mouth-to-mouth, 2 breaths)
• Rate: 100-120 compressions per minute
• Depth: At least 5 cm (2 inches) deep
3. ADVANCED LIFE
SUPPORT (ALS) – Emergency Hospital Care
- Defibrillation (Shock for VF, VT)
- Epinephrine (Adrenaline) (1 mg IV every 3-5 min)
- Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs (Amiodarone, Lidocaine for VT/VF)
- Airway Management (Intubation, Oxygen)
Mnemonic: "DEA" (Drugs for Cardiac Arrest)
- Defibrillation
(For VF, VT)
- Epinephrine
(Adrenaline)
- Anti-arrhythmic
(Amiodarone, Lidocaine)
4. IDENTIFYING CAUSES
– "4H’s & 4T’s" (Reversible Causes of Arrest)
4 H’s:
- Hypoxia (Low
Oxygen)
- Hypovolemia
(Blood Loss)
- Hypothermia
(Cold Shock)
- Hyper/Hypokalemia
(Electrolyte Imbalance)
4 T’s:
- Tension
Pneumothorax
- Tamponade
(Fluid around Heart)
- Toxins (Drug
Overdose)
- Thrombosis
(MI, Pulmonary Embolism)
Mnemonic: "H-T Problem" (Causes of Arrest)
POST-ARREST CARE
(AFTER CPR SUCCESS)
- Cooling the body (Therapeutic Hypothermia)
- ECG & Echo (Check Heart Function)
- Coronary Angiography (If MI is the cause)
- ICD Implantation (If risk of future arrest)
Mnemonic: "ICE" (Post-Arrest Care)
- Implant ICD
(If recurrent arrhythmias)
- Coronary
Angiography (If MI suspected)
- ECG &
Echo Monitoring
FINAL REVISION WITH MNEMONICS
- Causes = "HEART BLOCK"
- Types of Arrest = "VF-VT Asystole-PEA"
- Signs = "PU-BED" (Pulseless, Unconscious, Breathing stops, Eyes fixed, Death)
- Survival Chain = "EARLY-4" (Recognize, CPR, Defibrillate, Advanced Care)
- CPR Steps = "C-A-B" (Compressions, Airway, Breathing)
- Drugs = "DEA" (Defibrillation, Epinephrine, Anti-arrhythmic)
- Reversible Causes = "4H’s & 4T’s" (Hypoxia, Hypovolemia, Hypothermia, Hyper/Hypokalemia, Tension Pneumothorax, Tamponade, Toxins, Thrombosis)
- Post-Arrest Care = "ICE" (ICD, Coronary Angio, ECG/Echo)
