Cardiac Arrest

First successful treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood

Bochum's medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following a cardiac arrest with severe brain damage, a 2.5 year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative state – with minimal chances ...

Medical research created May 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

ATS: Early prone positioning reduces mortality in ARDS

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Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Hospitals' cardiac arrest incidence and survival rates go hand in hand

Hospitals with the highest rates of cardiac arrests tend to have the poorest survival rates for those cases, new University of Michigan Health System research shows.

Cardiology created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Delayed transfer to the ICU increases risk of death in hospital patients

Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago.

Other created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study finds improved CPR quality saves lives

(Medical Xpress)—Life-saving CPR has been a foundation of emergency medicine for more than a half century. But researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix are continuing to refine the procedure, ...

Cardiology created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Cardiac arrest, (also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest) is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively. Medical personnel can refer to an unexpected cardiac arrest as a sudden cardiac arrest or SCA.

A cardiac arrest is different from (but may be caused by) a heart attack, where blood flow to the muscle of the heart is impaired.

Arrested blood circulation prevents delivery of oxygen to the body. Lack of oxygen to the brain causes loss of consciousness, which then results in abnormal or absent breathing. Brain injury is likely if cardiac arrest goes untreated for more than five minutes. For the best chance of survival and neurological recovery, immediate and decisive treatment is imperative.

Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency that, in certain situations, is potentially reversible if treated early. When unexpected cardiac arrest leads to death this is called sudden cardiac death (SCD). The treatment for cardiac arrest is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to provide circulatory support, followed by defibrillation if a shockable rhythm is present. If a shockable rhythm is not present after CPR and other interventions, clinical death is inevitable.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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