Cardiac arrest

Introduction: Cardiac arrest

Although used interchangeably by many people, the terms "cardiac arrest" and "heart attack" are not the same thing. Cardiac arrest is stoppage of the heart. A heart attack can result in cardiac arrest, but not all heart attacks do so (e.g. it may cause chest pain instead). Both cardiac arrest and heart attack need emergency immediate professional medical attention.

Symptoms of Cardiac arrest

• Often preceded by symptoms of heart attack
• Stoppage of the heart
• Collapse
• Loss of consciousness
• Loss of breathing

See full list of 6 symptoms of Cardiac arrest

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Cardiac arrest:

• High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
  • Home Blood Pressure Tests
  • Home Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Home Heart Tests
• Heart Health: Home Testing:
  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Irregular Heartbeat Detection
  • Heart Electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Home Cholesterol Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Cardiac arrest

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Cardiac arrest?

• Misdiagnosis of Cardiac arrest
• Failure to diagnose Cardiac arrest
• Underlying causes of Cardiac arrest (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Cardiac arrest

Misdiagnosis and Cardiac arrest

Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss, there are varying degrees of severity. It is altogether too common for people...read more »

Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually have something milder. Some of the...read more »

Rare heart condition often undiagnosed: The rare heart condition called long QT syndrome can lead to episodes of palpitations and rapid...read more »

Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed, leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed. People become concerned that a condition is a...read more »

Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to test blood pressure. The "cuff" around the arm to measure blood pressure...read more »

Hypertension misdiagnosis common in children: Hypertension is often misdiagnosed in adults (see misdiagnosis of hypertension), but its misdiagnosis is even...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Cardiac arrest

Causes of Cardiac arrest

• Heart attack
• Suffociation
• Electrocution
• Hypothermia
• Anaphylaxis

See full list of 7 causes of Cardiac arrest

More information about causes of Cardiac arrest:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Cardiac arrest (10 listings)
• Drug interactions causing Cardiac arrest (449 listings)
• Underlying causes of Cardiac arrest
• Cardiac arrest as a complication caused by other conditions
• Cardiac arrest as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Cardiac arrest

Treatments for Cardiac arrest

• Emergency medical treatment
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Read more about treatments for Cardiac arrest

Videos for Cardiac arrest

Patient Surveys for Cardiac arrest

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Cardiac arrest
  Take Survey  View Results

Statistics for Cardiac arrest

• Medical statistics for Cardiac arrest
• Death and Mortality statistics for Cardiac arrest
• Society statistics for Cardiac arrest

Stories from Users Related to Cardiac arrest

Related forums and stories:

• Heart Conditions (76)
  • heart skips
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White
  • calf aches
  • Wpw
  • Endocarditis from Cellulitis
  • More user stories

User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Cardiac arrest, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Definitions of Cardiac arrest:

Cessation of the heart beat. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Absence of systole; failure of the ventricles of the heart to contract (usually caused by ventricular fibrillation) with consequent absence of the heart beat leading to oxygen lack and eventually to death - (Source - WordNet 2.1)