14. Prevention of Cardiac Arrest
1. Managing
Cardiovascular
disease
2. Controlling
/managing co-
morbidities well
3. Adopting
healthy life
style
4. Cardiac
screening
Editor's Notes
Worldwide every year there are more than 17 million people who die of a cardiac cause. 25% of them of these dice suddenly. In United States alone more than 1000 individuals drop dead suddenly. Cardiac arrest is the commonest cause of sudden cardiac death and this can strike someone hard and it can strike anyone without warning. Cardiac arrest is different from heart attack and it occurs due to electrical malfunction in the heart. Therefore, even young, healthy looking individuals may suffer from sudden cardiac arrest. Commonest cause of cardiac arrest is coronary artery disease but structural and electrical abnormalities in the heart are major cause in people below the age of 35.
Good news is that cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death is preventable. The first and most important step in prevention is cardiac screening. Cardiac screening is simple and cheap as well as readily available. This starts with a short consultation with a cardiologist followed by ECG and echocardiogram (ultrasound of heart). Occasionally Treadmill exercise stress ECG test is also required. Cardiac screening may reveal underlying risk about which one may not be aware, but it can be lifesaving
