First-Aid for Cardiac Arrest

Submitted by Dr S. Patel on 27 September 2017
Stock pic of a person performing CPR

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Quick and fast intervention helps. Dr. Shital Patel recommends first aid tips for cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating suddenly commonly due to some electrical malfunction. The victim becomes unresponsive, unconscious with no signs of breathing or movement. Death can occur within minutes as blood stops flowing to the lungs, brain and other organs. This can be reversed with prompt emergency intervention.

Cardiac arrest is the growing cause of fatality in young and old. The first 60 minutes are considered the most crucial and draw the line between life and death. That's why its also called the Golden Hour.

Remember:

Cardiac Arrest is not the same as a Heart Attack 

Cardiac Arrest is different from a Stroke

So if someone collapses in front of you, what do you do?

Here are some first-aid tips to aid the person till medical help can arrive on site:

  1. Check for danger to the person of any kind such as safety, hazards or injury due to the fall etc.
  2. Put the patient in a recovery position (see image below).

  3. Speak to them and see if they respond.
    • If they respond, it means they are alive
    • If there is little or no response, they are not conscious enough.
  4. Call emergency helpline number for medical help.
  5. Check to see if the airway is open. Put 2 fingers under the chin and other hand on the forehead; tilt the chin up so the tongue is not blocking the airway.

  6. Check for breathing by watching the chest, nostrils and listening.
    • If person is breathing, open the mouth to ensure easy breathing.

    • The lower limbs should be elevated during CPR, this is key to get blood to the brain and heart.

    • If person is not breathing, start CPR*. CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) should be 2 compressions per second followed by 2 breaths. Continue CPR till person becomes responsive or breathing returns.
  7. If there is a Defibrillator (AED) nearby, attach it and follow the voice instructions.

*If you don’t know CPR, please do not attempt it, wait for medical help.

If you want to learn about CPR and AED basics, check out CPR Saves Lives to learn more.

 

Changed
07/Jun/2024
Community
Heart and Cardio-vascular
Condition
Cardiovascular Diseases

Stories

  • Mediterranean diet is best way to tackle obesity, say doctors
    A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said. Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The PMJ editorial argues a focus on food intake is the best approach, but it warns crash dieting is harmful. They criticise the weight-loss industry for focusing on calorie restriction rather than "good nutrition". And they make the case…
  • Heart attack 101
    By family practitioner Dr Gita Mathai What is a heart attack? A “heart attack” is a general, rather vague, term used to describe damage to the heart muscle. This occurs when the blood supply to that particular part of the heart is compromised. The blood vessel may be abnormally situated from birth. It may be blocked with atherosclerotic plaques. The vessel may have a compromised lumen (channel inside the vessel) and then go into spasm so that the blood supply falls below critical levels and…
  • Eating healthily at food courts
    Just choose one of the following options, says nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju • Yong Tau Foo (Hakka dish)  Make it healthier still by choosing bee hoon, mee sua or kway teow (100-140 calories) instead of yellow noodles (200 calories per 100g of cooked noodles). Limit the intake of crab sticks, fish balls and cakes, and fish-paste stuffed veggies, which are loaded with sodium (15g of fresh fish comes with 10mg of sodium compared to 15g of crab stick with130mg…
  • Super Fit And Sudden Death
    Have you been surprised to hear about fit and even young athletes having a cardiac arrest and even a sudden death? Can exercising be bad for you? Dr Shital Raval Patel unpacks the causes, risks, and the screening recommended. We often read and hear about young, fit people and athletes having a sudden heart related incident and even succumbing to it while performing or working out and it is the most shocking news ever! It’s incomprehensible especially because we know them to be the…
  • DASH Diet To Control High Blood Pressure
    About 35% of the Asian adult population suffers from hypertension or High Blood Pressure.  Hypertension raises risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. However, simple dietary awareness and measures, like following the DASH diet, can help control as well as prevent its risks. By Ujjwala Baxi, dietitian and diabetes educator DASH diet, i.e. Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, comprises foods that are higher on nutrients like calcium, potassium, magnesium…
  • Yoga Urdhwahastottansana - Hypertension, Respiratory
    Urdhwahastottansana opens up the chest, improves blood circulation around the thoracic area and the heart and is beneficial for respiratory disorders, hypertension and heart problems Meaning Urdhwa means upward, hasta is hands, uttana is stretching and asana is posture. Benefits of Urdhwahastottansana 1. This asana stretches both sides of the body, so it massages, loosens and exercises the sides of the ribcage and the waist 2. Opens up the chest 3. Improves blood circulation around the…
  • High blood pressure in women 'more dangerous' than in men
    New research suggests that women with high blood pressure are at higher risk than their male counterparts, prompting researchers to recommend different treatments in women. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270747.php
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
    is a term that refers to different problems or disorders affecting the heart. In Asian countries, heart disease has become increasingly prevalent in recent decades and now accounts for about one third of all deaths. This is mainly because of changing lifestyles – people eat foods with higher energy and fat and lead more sedentary lives.  Causes and Risk factors : http://www.patientsengage.com/conditions/cardiovascular-diseases/causes-risk-factors Signs and Symptoms…
  • Medication and meditation
    High cholesterol and heart trouble ran in her family. But Varsha Marfatia, 85, didn’t let it control her life, says her grand-daughter Utsa Shah.  Tell us about your grandmother’s condition.  She had high cholesterol leading to angioplasty.  When was she diagnosed? She was diagnosed with high cholesterol in 1974 when she was 44. She had developed yellow deposits under her eye. She was tested and immediately put on medication. Initially her cholesterol levels were…
  • Salt to taste
    Just as too much salt leads to health problems, so does too little. How much is just right? Hear it from Dr Gita Mathai, paediatrician and family practitioner. Salt was a precious commodity in historical times. The word “salary” is derived from “salt” and Roman soldiers were paid partly in salt. Valuable employees were described as “the salt of the earth” and dispensable ones as “salt that had lost its flavour.” Somewhere between the Roman era and the 21st century…