Home Heart health Sudden death: causes, symptoms and treatment

Sudden death: causes, symptoms and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Sudden death is caused by a sudden cardiac arrest, regardless of whether the person is in good health. It begins with the loss of pulse, followed by loss of consciousness and breathing. The leading cause of this sudden death is a cardiac arrhythmia such as ventricular fibrillation. This causes a dysfunction in the heart by which it stops beating correctly, preventing its functioning. Immediate action is essential to increase the probability of survival since the symptoms progress very quickly until the person dies. In this FastlyHealarticle, we explain the causes, symptoms, and treatment of sudden death so that you know it in-depth and know how to act.

Causes of sudden death

A diferencia de un infarto cardíaco, la muerte súbita cardíaca es causada por un problema eléctrico, lo que implica irregularidades en el latido del corazón. De hecho, la causa principal es una arritmia cardíaca, lo que genera que la actividad eléctrica que impulsa al corazón en el bombeo de la sangre sea ineficiente, motivo por el cual detiene su actividad. Como consecuencia, la sangre deja de suministrar oxígeno a los distintos órganos, provocando la muerte de estos, es decir, necrosis. En caso de sobrevivir, los síntomas pueden variar en función de los órganos más afectados; el cerebro es el que suele presentar más secuelas. Algunas enfermedades que pueden llevar a sufrir la muerte súbita son:

  • Miocardiopatía hipertrófica. Se trata del engrosamiento del músculo cardíaco que deriva en una mayor dificultar para que la sangre circule, provocando un sobreeesfuerzo del corazón. Es la enfermedad cardiovascular que provoca más casos, representado la mitad de estos.
  • Miocardiopatía dilatada. En este caso, se produce una dilatación del ventrículo izquierdo, por lo que el corazón bombea menos sangre con cada latido.
  • Síndrome de Brugada. Es una enfermedad genética que se caracteriza por la presencia de arritmias ventriculares, lo que puede llevar a sufrir una muerte súbita.

In addition to those discussed above, there are other types of cardiovascular diseases for which a person has a greater risk of suffering sudden death, the most common ones at this point.

On the other hand, we can distinguish two types of sudden death :

  • Sudden death in infants. It consists of the sudden death of a child under one year of age without justifying causes. In this article, you can learn more about sudden death in infants.
  • Sudden death in athletes. People accustomed to doing physical activity frequently, especially professional athletes, can present this episode during sport. In some cases, professional soccer players have suffered this death, which is sometimes due to congenital malformations of the heart, that is, from birth. Therefore, regular physical exams are essential to prevent sudden death.

Symptoms of sudden death

The symptoms of sudden death can be presented so that the person and those who can accompany them at that moment quickly detect that something is happening.

  • Loss of consciousness . The person faints and loses consciousness. It is usually the first visible symptom.
  • Loss of breathing within a minute of fainting.
  • Absence of pulse as a result of shortness of breath.
  • The skin and mucous membranes change color, acquire a gray tone, and dilated pupils.

Sudden death treatment

The only treatment that can be done when symptoms of sudden death occur is defibrillation. As we indicated previously, acting quickly is essential to increase the chances that the person will survive; the later the patient is seen, the less likely defibrillation will be effective. This procedure consists of administering electric shocks to the heart so that the person recovers the electrical activity of the heart, allowing it to function and beat again, pumping blood, and allowing the blood to reach all the organs again.

In the absence of a defibrillator, the patient should receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is a procedure by which the person affected by the symptoms of sudden death receives a cardiac massage by another person who accompanies them or decides to help them, exerting pressure on the thorax and supplying air.

Steps to perform a cardiac massage in an emergency:

  • Make sure that the person who has lost consciousness and breathing is on their back.
  • Sit at his side on his knees, put one hand extended on his thorax and place the other on top of it with the fingers intertwined. We must place our hands right in the gap between the chest area.
  • Keep the arms completely straight, and press hard with the help of the body 30 times, more than three times in two seconds.
  • Once the 30 chest compressions have been performed, we provide air to the person by slightly raising their chin and covering their nose to prevent the air from escaping. The air must be inserted in two turns, followed by the other. This action of introducing air is known as two insults.
  • Perform this procedure until medical personnel arrives.

Risk factor’s

Even though sudden death occurs entirely unexpectedly, several risk factors could increase the chances of suffering it:

  • I have suffered an episode of sudden death before.
  • I had heart failure People who have heart problems imply some irregularity in its function.
  • Myocardial infarction. Having had a heart attack before could also put you at higher risk.
  • Arrhythmias People who have experienced an irregular heartbeat.
  • Low ejection fraction. The ejection fraction is the amount of blood pumped out with each heartbeat. When this phenomenon is lower than usual, the risk of cardiac death is also higher.
  • Family background. People who have a family member with a medical history of heart disease.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Sudden death: causes, symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our category of Blood, heart and circulation .

You may also like

Leave a Comment