Heart health tips: Can you prevent sudden cardiac arrest? Here's what you need to know

South East Asians have very high chances of coronary artery disease, nearly 2-3 times higher than Caucasians while Indians tend to have diffused coronary artery diseases with all vessels involved. One specific feature of Indian coronary artery disease is that they have a tendency towards fast regenerating artery disease like, if one has a blockage and he does not receive adequate treatment then a fresh blockage will keep coming in from time to time.

As far as sudden cardiac arrest is concerned, in the United States, there are about three and a half lakh deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest every year and on the contrary, if we look at Indian data, close to 6 lakh sudden cardiac arrest deaths are reported every year. It is said that only 12% of sudden cardiac arrests in the US can be treated and so, the mortality rate in sudden cardiac arrest is almost 88%.

Now, in a place like the US, where there is so much awareness and people have gadgets like Automated External Defibrillators available in public places, the outcome is 88% mortality, then in India, the mortality rate is much higher. Sudden stoppage of the heart by virtue of having a very fast heartbeat where the heart contracts at a very fast rate is known as a cardiac arrest where, a few seconds later, the person loses consciousness and has no pulse because the heart's ability to pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs is hampered.

If it does not revive in next 10-20 seconds, then the person dies on the spot hence, whenever a person suffers from a cardiac arrest at home or in a workplace, almost 20% of them die, among the rest 80% who are rushed to the nearest hospitals, 10% may die on their way to the hospital if they are not taken in an ambulance equipped with required facilities. The rest 70% may survive if they reach the hospital on time, by virtue of having a quick angiography or some drug that can dissolve the clot.

Why sudden cardiac arrest deaths happen?

According to Dr Rakesh Kumar Jaswal, Director and HOD of Cardiology at Fortis Hospital in Mohali, a sudden cardiac arrest occurs due to a cardiac disease. He said, “In the case of cardiac disease, 80% of people have coronary arteries which are blocked therefore, the patients may not even get a chance to complain about the pain. So, it is very important to diagnose coronary artery disease well in advance if a sudden cardiac arrest death has to be prevented.” He added, “About 20% of sudden cardiac arrest deaths are due to diseases like cardiomyopathy with are hereditary. So, if you have a family history of heart disease, then you should get yourself tested for it too.”

Prevention tips:

Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman and HOD of Cardiology at BLK Max Hospital, asserted that a person who has survived a cardiac arrest is likely to experience more of them in the future. Talking about how prevention for cardiac arrest can be classified as primary or secondary, he said, “For primary prevention, which is largely because of acute heart attacks, one has to be on the lookout for the risk factors that cause a heart attack. In the current scenario, a lot of young people are suffering from heart attacks and a lot of celebrities have fallen for it too. This is because people generally have abnormalities in their heart muscles or electrical channel abnormalities.”

So, primary prevention includes:

1. Look out for the causes of heart attacks.

2. Follow a healthy lifestyle.

3. Exercise regularly

4. Avoid fatty food

5. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and tobacco.

6. If you have hypertension or diabetes, then you should undergo timely check-ups and keep them under control.

About secondary prevention, Dr Subhash Chandra revealed, “If you have survived a heart attack before, the pumping of your heart drops to less than 35%. Beyond waiting for a month or longer after the heart attack recovery (be it through angioplasty or a bypass or any drug), you are susceptible to recurrent sudden cardiac arrest and therefore you are advised to have a safety mechanism in your body. It is in the form of a specialized pacemaker called AICD (Automated Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator). This is implanted in your body and the wires are attached to your heart. It monitors the heart and sends shock waves whenever required to restore heartbeats.”

As per Dr Rakesh Kumar Jaswal, prevention for sudden cardiac arrest includes:

1. Adequate level of screening from time to time as far as the risk of coronary artery disease is concerned and the severity of coronary artery disease is present in a patient.

2. Smoking should be discouraged.

3. Following a healthy lifestyle is a must.

4. Avoiding fried food, excess carbs, and high sodium intake

5. Indulging in a Mediterranean diet

6. Regular screening for other risk factors like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol level

7. Obesity is a major risk factor for sudden cardiac arrest, coronary artery disease, blood pressure, and diabetes. So, keeping yourself fit is a must.

8. Eat at right time, and stick to your routine. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like an ordinary person, and dinner like a beggar, at least 2 hours before you go to the bed.

9. 45 minutes of moderately intense exercise is mandatory.

10. Avoiding high levels of high saturated fats.

11. Tobacco in any form has to be avoided.