Safety alert
date: 1/31/2007
Not-so-sudden cardiac arrest
So-called sudden cardiac arrest often produces telltale symptoms hours in advance. ConsumerReportsHealth.org tells you what to look for to enhance your chances for survival.
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience one or more symptoms suggesting heart trouble. ConsumerReportsHealth.org reports on a study finding that symptoms lasting at least an hour worsen rates of survival.
Contrary to its reputation as a killer
that strikes without warning,
so-called sudden cardiac arrest
often produces telltale symptoms hours
in advance, a new study has shown.
But patients often ignore those symptoms
and miss the chance for life-saving
treatment.
Cardiac arrest, or heart stoppage, is typically sparked by faulty electric signaling in the heart muscle. While a heart attack can trigger the arrest, there are many other causes, such as clogged coronary arteries, defective heart valves, congestive heart failure, genetic disorders, excessive physical activity, and medication side effects.
To determine the possible warning signs, physicians in Berlin selected 323 cases of cardiac arrest in which they could interview at least one person who saw the patient within 24 hours before the ambulance call.
In 75 percent of those cases, the patient complained of one or more symptoms suggestive of heart trouble, notably chest pain, or angina, difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, and dizziness--the same ones that can signal a heart attack.
Symptoms lasted for at least an hour in half of those patients before they collapsed or called for help. Overall--including additional cardiac arrest cases where no bystanders were found--only one-fourth made it to a hospital alive, and only 6 percent survived.
Those findings underscore the importance of seeking immediate medical attention for the possible symptoms of impending cardiac arrest or heart attack, listed above, particularly if you have heart disease or coronary risk factors. Call an ambulance rather than trying to drive to the hospital because the condition could suddenly worsen. Chew and swallow an aspirin immediately, in case it's a heart attack, and lie down while waiting for help.
Cardiac arrest, or heart stoppage, is typically sparked by faulty electric signaling in the heart muscle. While a heart attack can trigger the arrest, there are many other causes, such as clogged coronary arteries, defective heart valves, congestive heart failure, genetic disorders, excessive physical activity, and medication side effects.
To determine the possible warning signs, physicians in Berlin selected 323 cases of cardiac arrest in which they could interview at least one person who saw the patient within 24 hours before the ambulance call.
In 75 percent of those cases, the patient complained of one or more symptoms suggestive of heart trouble, notably chest pain, or angina, difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, and dizziness--the same ones that can signal a heart attack.
Symptoms lasted for at least an hour in half of those patients before they collapsed or called for help. Overall--including additional cardiac arrest cases where no bystanders were found--only one-fourth made it to a hospital alive, and only 6 percent survived.
Those findings underscore the importance of seeking immediate medical attention for the possible symptoms of impending cardiac arrest or heart attack, listed above, particularly if you have heart disease or coronary risk factors. Call an ambulance rather than trying to drive to the hospital because the condition could suddenly worsen. Chew and swallow an aspirin immediately, in case it's a heart attack, and lie down while waiting for help.
This article first appeared in the February 2007 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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