How to Recognize Signs of Cardiac Arrest
Signs of a cardiac arrest often go unnoticed until it is too late because of how sudden a cardiac arrest will happen. Unlike a heart attack, there are very minimal warning signs and an extremely short amount of time in which to react. By knowing the signs a cardiac arrest is happening, you may be able to save a life.
- Look for signs of being unable to breathe or that the heart has stopped beating. Common signs of this include suddenly becoming still, trying to gasp for breath, holding the throat or holding a hand over the chest. This may happen a second after everything seems normal, so it is important to be observant for these signs.
- Tap on the person's shoulder or arm, and look for a reaction. If the person does not move, turn around or make an attempt to look at you, it is a good indication of a cardiac arrest. If a tap has not worked, try shaking the person to get some sort of response. If there is none, dial 911 immediately.
- Communicate with a person who shows other signs of a cardiac arrest. Typically a lack of response means that a person cannot breathe and may be in cardiac arrest.
- Dial 911 immediately if any of the above has occurred and move swiftly to perform CPR. Continue with CPR until help has arrived, even if you have not felt a pulse or seen the person take a breath. Paramedics can act quickly upon arrival to attempt to restart the heart.
- Understand the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest because the signs can be quite different. A heart attack occurs when one or more arteries in the heart become blocked. This causes a circulation problem. Signs of a heart attack include tightening of the chest and sharp pains up the left arm. A person having a heart attack will most likely be able to speak and ask for help unlike someone with cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is sudden and may carry no signs at all before it happens because it involves an electrical problem in the heart where chambers in the heart beat irregularly, causing the heart to be ineffective.