The “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on Thursday leaving so many of us puzzled, devastated and thinking… “How did that happen?” While the forensic reports will take some time to be revealed (approximately 6-8 weeks, as stated by CNN), it is definitely worth looking into the subject of cardiac arrest, how it is caused and what you should be doing when one suffers from cardiac arrest.
Firstly, what is cardiac arrest? As the name itself implies, the heart ceases to function suddenly within a matter of minutes of noticing symptoms. The victim may or may not be a heart patient. The cause of cardiac arrest varies and thus, basically those who are heart patients, coronary heart disease is attributed to cardiac arrest. It may also be caused due to rapid beating of the heart (known as arrhythmia) or due to slow heart beat eventually ceasing the heart function. Cardiac arrest can be due to trauma, electric shock and even choking. In some cases, it may not have a cause at all.
Secondly, how do you know if the victim suffered a cardiac arrest? Here are some pinpoints that’d help you:
• No response from the victim.
• No movement from the victim.
• Irregular or no breathing pattern.
• Blue-coloring of the skin
• No pulse.
Cardiac arrest is a serious heart implication that requires urgent attention. This means you will have to be very fast. Here’s what you should do:
• Remove any restricting clothing of the victim and see if they respond to a simple question such as, “Are you fine?”
• Then, look for the signs of breathing. Check their pulse. Your best bet would be the Adam’s apple located on the side of the neck.
• See if the victim is breathing by mouth.
• Perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if the victim is not breathing; quickly.
• Do chest compressions.
• If you have an automated external defibrillator, use it. If you have a heart patient at home, it is a must to have this device in order to restore heart function in the event of cardiac arrest.
• If nothing works, lay the victim in the recovery position and call emergency 911. Of course, continue doing CPR.
There’s always a chance to save your loved one and you can always save a life…
About Fatmah Azam Ali
Fatmah Azam Ali is a Certified Health Specialist (C.H.S.) and an N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy) candidate in the Clayton College of Natural Health. She is a Certified Nutritional Counselor (C.N.C.) and a Stress Management Consultant as well. As a freelance journalist with over six years of writing experience, she has written over hundreds of articles on health, fitness, alternative medicine and many more for national and international publications- online and print. Get to know her at: http://naturedoctorfatmah.wordpress.com