ID :
94092
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 09:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/94092
The shortlink copeid
SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST CAN OCCUR DURING HEART ATTACK - CARDIOLOGIST
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- There is a likelihood that a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can occur during a heart attack.
This can be attributed to the sudden blockage of an artery irritating the
heart muscle, said National Heart Institute (IJN) director of electrophysiology
and pacing unit Dr Razali Omar.
He said SCA could also be caused by previous heart damage or an inherited
(genetic) heart condition, and therefore, awareness was vital.
"SCA is not a heart attack as it is the electrical problem in the heart,
when the heart stops beating abruptly and without warning, and if the heart is
not electrically shocked within minutes, death occurs.
"Heart attack is the plumbing problem in the heart whereby, blockage in the
blood vessel prevents blood flow to heart and the lack of blood causes damage to
the heart muscle and scar tissue," Dr Razali told a media workshop at the IJN
here Wednesday.
Dr Razali said, when a patient suffering from SCA collapsed, every minute
counted because it took only nine minutes for death to occur, if no fast
intervention or aid was available.
"Signs of SCA occuring is, sudden collapse and loss of consciousness,
cessation of normal breathing, or loss of pulse and blood presure," he said.
Dr Razali said, according to statistics, the magnitude of SCA in the United
States showed that some 450,000 deaths occured annually, as compared to
the combination of AIDS, breast cancer, lung cancer and stroke.
"Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics show that less than one per cent survival
was recorded worldwide, of the total three million cases per year.
"Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle has been
damaged by disease or injury," he added.
According to the American Heart Association, the estimated 2006 prevalence
for heart failure in adults aged 20 and older is 5,700,000. In addition, one in
eight deaths is directly or indirectly caused by heart failure.
"Unless a defibrillator is used to shock the heart back into a normal
rhythm, death is inevitable," it said.
-- BERNAMA
This can be attributed to the sudden blockage of an artery irritating the
heart muscle, said National Heart Institute (IJN) director of electrophysiology
and pacing unit Dr Razali Omar.
He said SCA could also be caused by previous heart damage or an inherited
(genetic) heart condition, and therefore, awareness was vital.
"SCA is not a heart attack as it is the electrical problem in the heart,
when the heart stops beating abruptly and without warning, and if the heart is
not electrically shocked within minutes, death occurs.
"Heart attack is the plumbing problem in the heart whereby, blockage in the
blood vessel prevents blood flow to heart and the lack of blood causes damage to
the heart muscle and scar tissue," Dr Razali told a media workshop at the IJN
here Wednesday.
Dr Razali said, when a patient suffering from SCA collapsed, every minute
counted because it took only nine minutes for death to occur, if no fast
intervention or aid was available.
"Signs of SCA occuring is, sudden collapse and loss of consciousness,
cessation of normal breathing, or loss of pulse and blood presure," he said.
Dr Razali said, according to statistics, the magnitude of SCA in the United
States showed that some 450,000 deaths occured annually, as compared to
the combination of AIDS, breast cancer, lung cancer and stroke.
"Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics show that less than one per cent survival
was recorded worldwide, of the total three million cases per year.
"Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle has been
damaged by disease or injury," he added.
According to the American Heart Association, the estimated 2006 prevalence
for heart failure in adults aged 20 and older is 5,700,000. In addition, one in
eight deaths is directly or indirectly caused by heart failure.
"Unless a defibrillator is used to shock the heart back into a normal
rhythm, death is inevitable," it said.
-- BERNAMA
