Here’s what to do if you witness a cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops working suddenly. It sometimes happens without warning and requires immediate treatment. According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 people in the U.S. experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital annually.
Bystander knowledge and intervention are vital to ensure a person has the best chance of survival. So, what should you do if you suspect someone is in cardiac arrest?
Dr. Daniel Ahmad, an interventional cardiologist at Advocate Health Care, explains how to help if you find yourself in this situation.
“The first thing to do is to call 911 and get help,” Dr. Ahmad shares. “Unfortunately, with cardiac arrest, there may not be any symptoms at all. It can happen very suddenly and look like someone just fainted or collapsed. A lot of the time it will lead to the person being unconscious.”
If someone collapses, you may feel scared or be in a state of shock. Even if you’re not sure what exactly happened, it’s important to call 911 immediately.
“If it turns out that someone had a fainting spell because they’re dehydrated, that’s OK. No one should feel apprehensive to call an ambulance for help,” Dr. Ahmad explains. “If the person is having a cardiac arrest, time is muscle. This means they have a better chance of a good outcome the faster they get care.”
The next best thing to do after calling 911 is check for a pulse. Place your fingers underneath the jawline on the side of the neck and feel for a pulse for about 10 seconds. If there is no pulse, start chest compressions immediately.
“If a bystander immediately begins CPR, they can help save the person’s life. A few minutes can make a huge impact,” emphasizes Dr. Ahmad.
CPR is crucial because it helps circulate blood to the heart arteries and to the brain. If the heart is not beating, as is the case with cardiac arrest, the person is not getting any blood flow to the brain. This can cause permanent and irreversible damage to the brain in addition to other vital organs.
“Sign up for a CPR class and get certified,” Dr. Ahmad urges. “It can be helpful in the workplace, at home and anywhere else. This can truly help save someone’s life. All it takes is one person to make a difference.”
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About the Author
health enews contributor, is on the Advocate Health Care communications team. Elizabeth studied public relations and nonprofit leadership at Western Michigan University. A few of her favorite things include reading, traveling, watching auto racing and spending time with her loved ones and rescue dog named Bristol. Elizabeth volunteers as a Sunday school teacher and as a board member for ALMASI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Maasai girls and women in Tanzania.
This article on CPR was great to read I need to practice this often to be ready for a possible heart attack victim I may come across. Great article! Thank you!
1. Bystander CPR double or triples the chance of survival from cardiac arrest. (Sasson C, Rogers MA, Dahl J, Kellermann AL. Predictors of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3:63–81.)
2. Even hands-only CPR improves survival. (Iwami T, Kitamura T, Kiyohara K, Kawamura T. Dissemination of Chest Compression-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Survival After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Circulation. 2015;132:415–422.)
3. When calling 9-1-1 dispatchers can coach and talk you through the steps of CPR.
My son Kevin 36 went to urgent care he was having a hard time breathing they told him he had broccotis and thet told him if he has attack again call 911 and that early morning at 12:15 he did and he did call 911 and he could hardly talk to the dispatcher because he could not breath When the police got there his lips were turning blue and the officer notice he had agonal breathing the ems showed up shartly and took them 20 +minutes to recesitate Kevin and then they took him to the hopital but with Kevin going that long without oxygen the doctor seeing the ct scan said he thought he was brain dead and they would do other things to bring him back but they did another ct scan Sunday and it did showed again he was brain died Since Kev was an organ donor they had to keep him on the breathing tube until thet contacted all the organ donors then on Nov 4 26 they took out the breathing tube and he died 2 hours later I seen him 4 hours that night he was coughing but I am in shock that he is died