Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. The person loses consciousness, and their breathing is affected too. They may stop breathing completely, or they may stop breathing normally. In most cases this comes on without any warning.

Someone:

• loses consciousness and won't respond to you
• collapses and has a low or undetectable heart beat
• stops breathing
• isn't breathing normally (they may have slow breaths and gasp for air, or have short periods where they look like they're having a fit)

The call handler will talk you through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if it's needed.

CPR, or chest compressions, helps pump blood around the body when the heart can't, as it can't in cardiac arrest.

To do CPR on an adult, you must:

• Put your hands in the centre of their chest and interlock your fingers.
• Push hard and fast with your arms straight.
• Continue until help arrives.

You can use Lifesaver to learn more about how to do CPR and what to do in an emergency. It's an interactive game made by the Resuscitation Council.

After a cardiac arrest, you'll be watched closely in hospital. You may need to stay in an intensive care unit or a heart unit for a while.

The medical team will look into what caused your cardiac arrest. They'll also suggest treatments to help you recover and to lower the chance of it happening again.

Your healthcare team will advise you on how to prevent another cardiac arrest. You may need to take certain medicines, or get treatment for conditions that can cause a cardiac arrest, such as heart disease.

Sometimes you may need an implantable cardiac device (ICD) fitted. It's a small device placed under the skin of your chest to track your heart rhythm. If the ICD notices an abnormal rhythm, it can give electrical pulses to help your heart beat normally.

You can get more information on ICDs from the British Heart Foundation.

Staying active and following a healthy diet are good for your heart. Your healthcare team will tell you when it's safe to start exercising again. They'll also explain whether you need to change your diet.

Find out more about recovering from a cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, from young children to older adults. But if you already have heart disease, your risk of cardiac arrest may be higher.

Cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. Sometimes an underlying heart condition is behind it, such as a heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia or an inherited heart condition.

But a heart condition isn't always the cause. Cardiac arrest can also happen because of drowning, choking, anaphylaxis, electrocution or sepsis.

Often there's no clear cause at all. This is known as an idiopathic cause.