The heart, considered as the strongest muscle in the body. It is one of the few organs that has an electrical system responsible for controlling the heartbeat as well as normalizing the heart rate or the number of times that the heart beats per minute, and the heart rhythm or the synchronized pumping action of the heart. Because of the role it plays, it is of prime importance that the beating pattern of the heart is kept regular. Once the heart encounters a problem with this electrical system, the heart will experience irregular heartbeats that often results in a sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating.
People who suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest can die within minutes from the skip in the heart beat pattern. Because of this, it cannot be denied that most people are unable to provide the right kind of assistance to the patient. This makes it important for everyone to know speedy treatment like the cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR and the use of defibrillator. Defibrillator is a machine that can send electric shocks to the heart to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. In public places like schools, malls and hotels, an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be found and used in times of emergency.
Aside from this, of course, it is more important for people to know the risk factors that could increase the likelihood of an occurrence of a sudden cardiac arrest. These risks include having high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, having diabetes, too much consumption of alcohol, obesity, and drug abuse. Also, people who have a family history of cardio artery disease or heart attack are at risk.
In order to significantly reduce these risks, it is vital to have a healthy and active lifestyle. A healthy diet consists of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains products, foods that are low in sugar, trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Lean meats, fish, beans and low-fat milk are perfect for these criteria. A healthy activity on the other hand includes aerobic physical work out like walking, jogging, running and cycling. Living a sedentary life should be something that you should shy away from. This means, lessen the amount of time you usually spend in front of the TV or the computer.
Getting regular medical check-ups can also decrease the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest. Doctors can give patients customized activities and diet to maintain the ideal weight and live a full but healthy life.
If you are at risk for a heart disease, you need to make sure that the people around you would know what to do. Having an AED unit on hand can be of great help to them especially if they have not had any formal training in proper administration of CPR. An AED can provide them with needed instructions when it comes to determining whether chest compression would suffice, or if there is a need for an application of electrical charge. In most cases, an AED would come with both oral and visual instructions on what needs to be done.
