National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Cardiac Arrest is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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National Institutes of Health
Cardiac Arrest
Also called: Sudden cardiac death
The heart has an internal electrical system that controls the rhythm of the heartbeat. Problems can cause abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. There are many types of arrhythmia. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or it can stop beating. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart develops an arrhythmia that causes it to stop beating. This is different than a heart attack, where the heart usually continues to beat but blood flow to the heart is blocked.
There are many possible causes of cardiac arrest. They include coronary heart disease, heart attack, electrocution, drowning, or choking. There may not be a known cause to the cardiac arrest.
Without medical attention, the person will die within a few minutes. People are less likely to die if they have early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. Defibrillation is delivering an electric shock to restore the heart rhythm to normal.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Start Here
- About Cardiac Arrest(American Heart Association)
- Hands-Only CPR(American Heart Association)
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
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For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Reference Shelf
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Overviews
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest(Texas Heart Institute)
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Latest News
- Doctors Torn Over Heart Screening for Young Athletes(10/11/2012, Reuters Health)
- Cardiac Arrests at School Usually Not in Students(09/28/2012, Reuters Health)
- Education, Psychological Support Key for Defibrillator Patients(09/24/2012, American Heart Association)
- Thin Placenta Might Be Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death Later in Life(09/20/2012, HealthDay)
- Lengthier Resuscitation Attempts Improve Survival Rates(09/05/2012, American Heart Association)
- Implantable Defibrillators Lead to Decrease in Cardiac Arrests(08/06/2012, American Heart Association)
- More News on Cardiac Arrest
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Warning Signs for Cardiac Arrest(American Heart Association)
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Treatment
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Automated External Defibrillator(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Automated External Defibrillators: Do You Need an AED?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- How Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Links in the Chain of Survival(American Heart Association)
- Long-Term Treatment for Cardiac Arrest(American Heart Association)
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Automated External Defibrillator
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Prevention/Screening
- Understand Your Risk for Cardiac Arrest(American Heart Association)
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Related Issues
- Coronary Artery Anomalies(Texas Heart Institute)
- Heart Attack or Sudden Cardiac Arrest: How Are They Different?(American Heart Association)
- Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome Care(American Heart Association)
- Ventricular Fibrillation(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Health Check Tools
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Risk Assessment(Heart Rhythm Society)
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Videos
- Project Adam Saves Lives: Sudden Cardiac Arrest and AED in a School Setting(Children's Hospital and Health System, Wisconsin)
- Also available in Spanish
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Anatomy/Physiology
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How the Heart Works(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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How the Heart Works
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Death, Sudden, Cardiac(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Arrest(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Death, Sudden, Cardiac
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association)
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Directories
- Find a Local CPR, First Aid or ECC (Emergency Cardiovascular Care) Class(American Heart Association)
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Organizations
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Statistics
- CPR and Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)(American Heart Association)
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Children
- Facts about Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young(Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation) - PDF
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Teenagers
- Sudden Death in Young People--Heart Problems Often Blamed(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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