Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart abruptly stops beating or is beating too quickly
(200 to 300 beats or more per minute, compared to a normal rate of about 70 beats
per minute), called ventricular tachycardia. When a person goes into cardiac arrest,
their heart has stopped pumping blood throughout the body. It is a life-threatening
condition and requires immediate attention. With Life Alert
help can arrive more quickly.
Once someone has gone into cardiac arrest,
he or she has only a few minutes to get treatment or sudden cardiac death will result.
If there is no blood flow to the brain, lack of oxygen will lead to death of the
brain cells after about four minutes. According to the American Heart Association,
sudden cardiac death is the leading type of death in the U.S., killing nearly 250,000
people each year.