Cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart beats faster than normal. The rapid motion impedes the flow of blood into various parts of the body and brain. Cardiac arrest if untreated can lead to death in minutes.

Symptoms
There are tell-tale signs and symptoms that can help you distinguish cardiac arrest from other conditions.
€ Racing heart beat: A racing heart beat could be a result of anxiety or various other factors. It is, however, important to seek medical attention as racing heart beat could mean a cardiac arrest on most occasions.
€ Dizziness: If a person experiences a combination of racing heart heat and dizziness, there is every chance that the culprit is cardiac arrest.
€ Loss of consciousness: A person suffering from cardiac arrest can have loss of consciousness ever before he could seek medical attention. This is a potentially dangerous situation if he is by himself.

Causes
It is caused by electrical problems which causes the heart to beat faster than the normal rate.

Here are the most significant causes:
€ Coronary heart disease: Coronary heart disease causes a condition known as arrhythmia, a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heart beat. Arrhthmia is often characterized by rapid, irregular heart beat (tachycardia) which can even lead to the heart stopping all of a sudden. It can also slow down the heart beat which in medical parlance is know as bradycardia.
€ Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart's ability to pump blood is severely compromised. Cardiomyopathy is a term broadly used for any disease associated with the heart muscles.
€ Valvular heart disease: A damage or defect to any of the heart valves is termed as valvular heart disease. Valvular heart disease may affect either of the four heart valves namely aortic, mitral, tricuscpid, or pulmonary.
€ Inherited heart diseases: Hereditory heart diseases such as Marfan syndrome, long QT syndrome, or restrictive cardiomyopathy could lead to Heart Attack as well.

People who are more susceptible to sudden arrest include those with:
€ A previous history of heart attack or myocardial infarction
€ A previous history of heart failure (poor pumping heart)
€ A cardiac arrest survivor
€ A family history of sudden arrest
€ A low ejection fraction.

Response time is the most critical factor in improving the survival of patients with cardiac arrest. A critical intervention that can reverse cardiac arrest is defibrillation which is the process of applying electric shock to restore a normal heart beat. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the chances of survival reduces by 7 to 10%.

In patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, angioplasty can be of immense help. This is a surgical intervention that mechanically widens narrowed or obstructed arteries. There are a lot of options in terms of emergent care when it comes to cardiologists and cardiac hospitals in Chennai. World-class cardiac care units and some of the best angioplasty specialists make Apollo Hospitals, MIOT, BGS Hospitals, and Fortis Malar the best hospitals not only in the Chennai but also in India. Seeking care at any of these hospitals would open doors to timely care in cases of cardiac emergencies. A team of highly accomplished team comprising of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, electrophysiologists, and anesthetists would mean that you would get the best of care and timely interventions. These factors would make enhance your chance of survival in case of a cardiac emergency such as a sudden cardiac arrest.