Welcome back!!
Thank you guys for clicking on this blog! Today, I will explain how an individual’s body responds to sudden cardiac arrest just seconds after it occurs, so that all of you will gain the tools to be able to detect and save a life.
source: www.researchgate.net
1st: VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION
According to the Mayo Clinic, ventricular fibrillation is a kind of an irregular heart rhythm in which the lower heart chambers begin contracting in a fast and chaotic way. The heart then cannot pump blood to the rest of the body effectively, resulting in a “drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness” (www.upbeat). Ventricular fibrillation is what causes SCA.
*VF occurs during exertion (as in exercising), but can be caused by other conditions as well (which i’ll explain in another blog!).
2nd: 1 - 5 ish SECONDS
Individual is asymptomatic. This is because it takes a few seconds for the body to register that it is experiencing SCA. (There is still seconds’ worth of oxygen left in an individual’s body, the impact of blood pumping failure takes seconds to disrupt circulation fully, etc.)
3rd: AROUND 6 SECONDS
Individual begins to feel lightheaded and starts looking very pale. Individual will usually bend over and put their hands on knees, if they haven’t already collapsed to the ground.
4th: 7 - 13 SECONDS
Individual becomes fully unconscious. The heart has officially stopped beating. This individual’s blood pressure is now extremely low.
5th: 14 - 20 SECONDS
Individual’s eyes are open (eyes usually rolled back). Individual’s body also begins doing sudden (or myoclonic) jerks. This is where many witnesses mistake SCA for a seizure.
6th: 21 - 35 SECONDS
40% of individuals experiencing SCA may begin having “agonal gasps” These gasps are involuntary and can sound like snoring, snorting, gasping, or short shallow breaths. *These breaths are NOT NORMAL and can sometimes lead witnesses to think that this person is “coming back to life”. Please don’t mistake these breaths!!
Source: www.avive.life
Individual can also experience a type of paralysis where their muscles become limp and soft. (Source: National Library of Medicine)
7th: 36 - 120 SECONDS
Individual’s pupils are now fully dilated, and there is almost no airflow anymore.
*If you haven’t already, go check out my second blog because it informs you all on secondary prevention, which is what WITNESSES should do when seeing someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest.
8th: Ensure that the individual goes to a hospital that knows how to treat sudden cardiac arrest!
While at the hospital, it is also important that the doctors pinpoint the cause of the arrest so the individual can have an action plan forward.
Thank you for reading this blog! I hope that it provides you all with a strong foundation on the process of SCA so that you will all be able to detect it if you ever witness someone that is unfortunately a victim to it. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions to be answered in future FAQ blogs, and make sure to watch out for these disguised symptoms!