Cardiac arrest is a sudden condition in which the heart unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs, making the body dysfunctional. Some symptoms include; Sudden collapse, No pulse, No breathing, Loss of consciousness, Fatigue and weakness.

Although you might confuse Cardiac arrest with a heart attack, they both aren’t the same. A heart attack is when the blood flow in your body is blocked on the other hand Cardiac arrest is when a human heart suddenly malfunctions and stop beating unexpectedly.

Cardiac arrest affects the function of the body when it occurs for example:
1) Cardiovascular system: During Cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating and no blood is pumped to the rest of the body. Suddenly, the electrical signals that regulate the pumping action of the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles) become rapid and chaotic. The heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs.
2) Nervous system: As the flow of oxygen through the blood stops immediately, due to no oxygen in the brain causes the whole electrical impulses, nerves and other messages by the brain to stop and the whole system becomes dysfunctional. In turn, every system in the body stops to get messages from the brain and hence, the body cannot function anymore.

When Cardiac arrest occurs, reduced blood flow to your brain and other organs causes unconsciousness. If your heart rate/rhythm does not return back to normal, brain damage occurs and that in turn results in death which usually happens to a large number of people who are diagnosed with Cardiac arrest. Although, if a person survives this disease, there are chances they might show signs of brain damage. This disease can occur to People suffering from other heart diseases but it can also happen to people who appear healthy and have no known heart disease or other risk factors for Cardiac arrest. This disease happens to Older adults, particularly those with coronary artery disease(Chances of 40+ adults are more)

But how can a person with this disease be treated? Well, When Cardiac arrest suddenly occurs to a person, they have to be treated with emergency medical treatment. A device named defibrillator is to be treated to the person right away. This device sends an electric shock to the heart. The electric shock can restore a normal rhythm to a heart that’s stopped beating. To have successful results, the defibrillator is to be done to the person right away within minutes of diagnosis by the doctors but until the procedure starts, a normal CPR must be given too. If the person survives the cardiac arrest, he/she will be kept in the hospital to be kept under observations and may be given medications to reduce the risk of another Cardiac arrest.

But can the device be actually safe and risk-free to use?
(Social)
-Using the defibrillator can save lives and helps to bring a person’s heart back to life.
-Reduces death rates
-Major medical groups have recommended that more patients receive devices.
-They are safe to use and present minimal risk to the rescuer.
(Ethical)
-As the device can only be found at medical centres, people who have cardiac arrest at home or an area where the device is not found would be at a large risk of dying. Hence, the device should be available in more places with people/doctors who can actually operate it.
-If the patient is not taken to the hospital or the ambulance isn’t called quickly, without medical procedures, there are high chances the patient may die.
(Economical)
-The treatment using this device is expensive but Defibrillators have undoubtedly saved the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. That is why insurers still typically pay for the devices and the surgical procedure to implant them, which can top $50,000 for each patient.

Cardiac Arrest prevention is the first step to treating it. When one experiences any symptoms, it is imperative that immediate Cardiac arrest treatment is given by the best cardiac surgeons for survival