Hypertension, Cardiology, Primary Health and Patient Care

Hypertension & Cardiology

Cardiac arrest is described as an unexpected disruption in effective blood flow due to the failure of the heart. Cardiac arrest happens when the heart stops completely or has a dangerous rhythm and sometimes can be caused by heart attacks. It can also be caused by sepsis, trauma, a pulmonary embolism, infection, heart rhythm problems, malfunction in heart’s electrical system and use of recreational drug. Cardiac arrest is a very serious condition which can lead to death. Symptoms for the cardiac arrest include sudden loss of response, fatigue, dizziness, abnormal breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, weakness and nausea. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of cardiac arrest which often results in coronary ischemia and ventricular fibrillation. With cardiac arrest, people may feel dizzy or light-headed and suddenly black out. Immediate treatment with a cardiac arrest includes CPR and a shock with defibrillator to jump-start a person’s heart followed up with a breathing tube and other medicines or machines to support the heart. When one of the main arteries of the heart gets blocked, causing the heart to not get enough blood flow, the condition is termed as heart attack. Stroke is classified into two major types, ischemic and hemorrhagic. In ischemic strokes, a blood clot cuts off the supply of blood to an area of the brain. In hemorrhagic strokes, bleeding in the brain occurs via a ruptured blood vessel. This session aims to discuss major issues related to cardiac arrest, heart attack and stroke and the role of hypertension in all these.