What is "cardiac arrest"

n. (context cardiology pathology English) Sudden and complete cessation of the heartbeat resulting in the loss of effective circulation of the blood.

n. 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 [syn: asystole, cardiopulmonary arrest]

Cardiac arrest is a sudden stop in effective blood flow due to the failure of the heart to contract effectively. Symptoms include loss of consciousness and abnormal or absent breathing. Some people may have chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea before this occurs. If not treated within minutes death usually occurs.

The most common cause of cardiac arrest is coronary artery disease. Less common causes include major blood loss, lack of oxygen, very low potassium, heart failure, and intense physical exercise. A number of inherited disorders may also increase the risk including long QT syndrome. The initial heart rhythm is most often ventricular fibrillation. The diagnosis is confirmed by finding no pulse. While a cardiac arrest may be caused by heart attack or heart failure these are not the same.

Prevention includes not smoking, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight. Treatment for cardiac arrest is immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and if a shockable rhythm is present defibrillation. Among those who survive targeted temperature management may improve outcomes. An implantable cardiac defibrillator may be placed to reduce the chance of death from recurrence.

In the United States cardiac arrest outside of hospital occurs in about 5.2 per 10,000 people per year. Cardiac arrest becomes more common with age. It affects males more often than females. The percentage of people that survive with treatment is about 8%. Many who survival have significant disability. Television shows often show survival rates as high as 75%.

Cardiac Arrest is a 1980 horror thriller film written and directed by Murray Mintz.

Cardiac Arrest is a British medical drama series made by World Productions for BBC1 and first broadcast between 1994 and 1996. The series was controversial due to its cynical depiction of doctors, nurses, and the National Health Service, although it has often topped polls of the UK medical profession as the most realistic medical drama of all time.

The series was created by Jed Mercurio (writing under the pseudonym John MacUre), a former junior doctor who had worked at a hospital in Wolverhampton, who drew on his own personal experiences to provide a more visceral, albeit wryly humorous, look at the NHS in the 1990s. At the time of airing, Mercurio was still working as a doctor. Mercurio later went on to devise another controversial medical drama for the BBC in 2004, Bodies.

Cardiac Arrest is the first album by the funk/ R&B band Cameo.

The album reached #16 on the R&B charts and contained the hit single " Rigor Mortis".

"Cardiac Arrest" is a song by British band Madness from their third album 7 and other compilation album called Complete Madness. It spent 10 weeks in UK charts peaking at number 14.

The song was written by Chas Smash and Chris Foreman and tells a story of a workaholic who suffers a fatal heart attack on his way to work. It was the first Madness single since " The Prince" not making it to the top 10.

The album version of the song ends after the second chorus with a dramatic cut to a coda representing the man's heart thudding and then stopping. The single version replaces this with a repeat of the more optimistic first chorus, which fades out.

The music video for "Cardiac Arrest" featured Chas Smash as a person having a heart attack and the remaining band members playing roles of people advising him not to work so hard. The video follows the single version of the song rather than the album version.

The B-side, "In the City", was originally written by Bill Crutchfield, Chas Smash, Chris Foreman, Daisuke Inoue, Suggs, and Mike Barson for a Japanese television advertisement for Honda City cars. The various versions of the advert, including variations using " Driving in My Car" instead of "In the City", appear between tracks on the Divine Madness video.

In the Netherlands the single was released as a double A-side, and peaked at number 15 in the Dutch Top 40. In the US, "Cardiac Arrest" was released on the US compilation album Madness and the B-side of their " Our House" single.

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating.

Cardiac Arrest may also refer to:

• Cardiac Arrest (film), a 1980 film
• Cardiac Arrest (TV series), BBC television drama about the British NHS in the 1990s
• Cardiac Arrest (album), the 1977 debut album by American band Cameo
• "Cardiac Arrest" (Madness song), 1981
• "Cardiac Arrest" (Teddybears song), 2011

"Cardiac Arrest" is a song by Swedish electronic group Teddybears, taken from their sixth studio album Devil's Music (2010). It was released as the album's international lead single on 15 March 2011, in the United States and Canada.