Not until after a heart attack do many people consider the effects of cardiac arrest. Before an episode, what lies after such an incident is not something that crosses many people's minds. In the effect of such a situation, it would be valuable and undoubtedly beneficial to know what to expect after the on slot of cardiac arrest.
Survival rates vary depending on the condition of one's health prior to an episode of cardiac arrest. Those that have a history of heart disease and high blood pressure have a much slimmer chance of survival than those who were in a state of moderate to excellent health conditions. With this in mind, it is important to realize that the effects of cardiac arrest will also be affected by one's health history. Someone who was in poor health prior to a heart attack, should they be fortunate enough to survive, will also have a longer, more complicated recovery.
Most of the effects of a heart attack are linked to the amount of time that passes before cardio pulmonary resuscitation is begun. Studies show that those who are treated in an immediate matter, with less than two minutes passing before CPR is begun, have less side effects, and those that they do have are not of the severity of those who had a longer period of time pass before the resuscitation process was begun.
A few of the effects of cardiac arrest include hypoxia and acidosis, both of which are linked to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the tissues of the body. Since the heart is not pumping, proper oxygen is not reaching the tissues, CO2 is taking the place of where the oxygen should be. In these conditions, the tissues of the body begin to break down and are unable to function properly.
Metabolic problems and decreased circulation have also been reported. This is caused by a weaker than normal heart that cannot provide the same amounts of oxygen as it did prior to the heart attack.
There has also been evidence linking heart attacks to neurological problems and damage to the nervous system. Studies on monkeys have been done in an attempt to reveal the effects that a heart attack has on the brain. In one study, the monkeys were taught various tasks including differentiating between colors. After inducing cardiac arrest, the monkeys were resuscitated at different lengths of time. Those that were resuscitated quickly were able to distinguish the difference in the colors within one to eight days. Those that were forced to wait for the longer periods were not able to recover these abilities for anywhere from eleven to sixty-four days. These findings seem to show that the effects of cardiac arrest can destroy memory function as well as causing other neurological problems. One again the length of time that passes before resuscitation has great impact on the aftermath of a heart attack.
Survival rates vary depending on the condition of one's health prior to an episode of cardiac arrest. Those that have a history of heart disease and high blood pressure have a much slimmer chance of survival than those who were in a state of moderate to excellent health conditions. With this in mind, it is important to realize that the effects of cardiac arrest will also be affected by one's health history. Someone who was in poor health prior to a heart attack, should they be fortunate enough to survive, will also have a longer, more complicated recovery.
Most of the effects of a heart attack are linked to the amount of time that passes before cardio pulmonary resuscitation is begun. Studies show that those who are treated in an immediate matter, with less than two minutes passing before CPR is begun, have less side effects, and those that they do have are not of the severity of those who had a longer period of time pass before the resuscitation process was begun.
A few of the effects of cardiac arrest include hypoxia and acidosis, both of which are linked to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the tissues of the body. Since the heart is not pumping, proper oxygen is not reaching the tissues, CO2 is taking the place of where the oxygen should be. In these conditions, the tissues of the body begin to break down and are unable to function properly.
Metabolic problems and decreased circulation have also been reported. This is caused by a weaker than normal heart that cannot provide the same amounts of oxygen as it did prior to the heart attack.
There has also been evidence linking heart attacks to neurological problems and damage to the nervous system. Studies on monkeys have been done in an attempt to reveal the effects that a heart attack has on the brain. In one study, the monkeys were taught various tasks including differentiating between colors. After inducing cardiac arrest, the monkeys were resuscitated at different lengths of time. Those that were resuscitated quickly were able to distinguish the difference in the colors within one to eight days. Those that were forced to wait for the longer periods were not able to recover these abilities for anywhere from eleven to sixty-four days. These findings seem to show that the effects of cardiac arrest can destroy memory function as well as causing other neurological problems. One again the length of time that passes before resuscitation has great impact on the aftermath of a heart attack.
