With the lack of positive outcomes following cardiac arrest, efforts have been spent finding effective strategies to prevent cardiac arrest. With the prime causes of cardiac arrest being ischemic heart disease, efforts to promote a healthy diet, exercise, and smoking cessation are important. For people at risk of heart disease, measures such as blood pressure control, cholesterol lowering, and other medico-therapeutic interventions are used. Of note, however, a Cochrane review published in 2016 found moderate-quality evidence to show that blood pressure-lowering drugs do not actually reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. Exercise is an effective preventative measure for cardiac arrest in the general population but may be risky for those with pre-existing conditions. The risk of a transient catastrophic cardiac event increases in individuals with heart disease during and immediately after exercise. However, both the lifetime and acute risk of cardiac arrest are decreased in individuals with heart disease that perform regular exercise, suggesting the risks of exercise are outweighed by the benefits. Diet According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2021, diet may be a modifiable risk factor that leads to a lower incidence of sudden cardiac death. The study found that those who fell under the category of having "Southern diets" representing those of "added fats, fried food, eggs, organ and processed meats, and sugar‐sweetened beverages" had a positive association with an increased risk of cardiac arrest, while those deemed following the "Mediterranean diets" of had an inverse relationship regarding the risk of cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association also has diet recommendations here that is aimed to prevent cardiovascular disease. Here, the readers may find broad information regarding healthy eating and some tips on what to look for and what to avoid from grocery stores to restaurant dining. Additionally, marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been promoted for the prevention of sudden cardiac death due to their postulated ability to lower triglyceride levels, prevent arrhythmias, decrease platelet aggregation, and lower blood pressure. However, according to a systematic review published in 2012, omega-3 PUFA supplementation are not being associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death. Code teams In medical parlance, cardiac arrest is referred to as a "code" or a "crash". This typically refers to "code blue" on the hospital emergency codes. A dramatic drop in vital sign measurements is referred to as "coding" or "crashing", though coding is usually used when it results in cardiac arrest, while crashing might not. Treatment for cardiac arrest is sometimes referred to as "calling a code". People in general wards often deteriorate for several hours or even days before a cardiac arrest occurs. This has been attributed to a lack of knowledge and skill amongst ward-based staff, in particular, a failure to carry out measurement of the respiratory rate, which is often the major predictor of a deterioration and can often change up to 48 hours prior to a cardiac arrest. In response to this, many hospitals now have increased training for ward-based staff. A number of "early warning" systems also exist which aim to quantify the person's risk of deterioration based on their vital signs and thus provide a guide to staff. In addition, specialist staff are being used more effectively in order to augment the work already being done at ward level. These include: * Crash teams (or code teams) – These are designated staff members with particular expertise in resuscitation who are called to the scene of all arrests within the hospital. This usually involves a specialized cart of equipment (including defibrillator) and drugs called a "crash cart" or "crash trolley". * Medical emergency teams – These teams respond to all emergencies, with the aim of treating the people in the acute phase of their illness in order to prevent a cardiac arrest. These teams have been found to decrease the rates of in-hospital cardiac arrest and improve survival. * Critical care outreach – As well as providing the services of the other two types of team, these teams are also responsible for educating non-specialist staff. In addition, they help to facilitate transfers between intensive care/high dependency units and the general hospital wards. This is particularly important, as many studies have shown that a significant percentage of patients discharged from critical care environments quickly deteriorate and are re-admitted; the outreach team offers support to ward staff to prevent this from happening. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator Illustration of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a battery-powered device that monitors electrical activity in the heart and when an arrhythmia is detected is able to deliver an electrical shock to terminate the abnormal rhythm. ICDs are used to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) in those that have survived a prior episode of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (secondary prevention). ICDs are also used prophylactically to prevent sudden cardiac death in certain high risk patient populations (primary prevention). Numerous studies have been conducted on the use of ICDs for the secondary prevention of SCD. These studies have shown improved survival with ICD's compared to the use of anti-arrhythmic drugs. ICD therapy is associated with a 50% relative risk reduction in death caused by an arrhythmia and a 25% relative risk reduction in all cause mortality. Primary prevention of SCD with ICD therapy for high-risk patient populations has similarly shown improved survival rates in a number of large studies. The high-risk patient populations in these studies were defined as those with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy (determined by a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)). The LVEF criteria used in these trials ranged from less than or equal to 30% in MADIT-II to less than or equal to 40% in MUSTT.
complications of Myocardial infarction
complications of Angina
complications of Arrhythmia
complications of Myocardial stunning
complications of Coronary thrombosis
complications of Pulmonary embolism
complications of Atrial fibrillation
medical cause of Myocardial infarction