Cardiac Diseases See  Heart Diseases Treatment 

The vast majority  of people whose heart stops beating unexpectedly  have ventricular fibrillation. The definitive treatment for this is defibrillation using electricity  to shock the heart back  into a regular rhythm. With technological advances, AEDs  are now  a routine sight wherever  people congregate. 

Communities  which institute public CPR education, use  of AEDs,  and rapid activation  of emergency medical services have dramatically increased survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, because  the brain  is so sensitive  to the lack  of oxygen and blood flow, unless treatment occurs within four  to six minutes, there is  a high risk  of some permanent brain damage. 

Should  the patient survive  to be transported  to the hospital,  the reason for collapse and sudden death will need  to be diagnosed. Regardless,  the ABCs  of resuscitation will be re-evaluated. Airway, Breathing,  and Circulation (heart beat  and blood pressure)  will be supported,  and admission  to an intensive care unit  is most likely. 

Diagnostic tests  may include repeated electrocardiograms (EKGs), echocardiogram (ultrasounds  of the heart),  and cardiac catheterization and electrophysiologic studies, in which  the electrical pathways  of the heart are mapped. 

Recent research involving the treatment  of survivors of cardiac arrest suggests  that prompt institution  of hypothermia (cooling  of the body) may  prevent or lessen  the degree  of brain injury. 

Survivors  of sudden cardiac arrest  are often candidates for implantable  cardiac defibrillators.