Sudden Cardiac Arrest Often Comes with a Warning

Acting in response to warning symptoms was associated with better survival.

Cardiac arrest is widely perceived as a sudden, unexpected collapse. Hypothesizing that warning signs are apparent in the weeks before sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), investigators analyzed data from patients aged 35 to 65 years in a community-based, prospective study in the Portland, Oregon, area. Of 1099 SCAs, 839 had symptom data available.

According to prehospital reports from emergency medical services (EMS), 430 patients (51%), roughly evenly divided between men and women, had experienced at least one symptom within 4 weeks before SCA. Fifty-one patients (12%) had consulted a physician during those 4 weeks. Patients with and those without pre-SCA symptoms had similar characteristics.

Of the patients with pre-SCA symptoms, chest pain was do…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Often Comes with a Warning

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Reviewing Author