Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Cardiac arrests are caused by certain types of arrhythmias that prevent the heart from pumping blood.

Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. Nine out of 10 people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die — often within minutes.

A person may be having a cardiac arrest if they:

• Collapse suddenly and lose consciousness (pass out)
• Are not breathing or their breathing is ineffective or they are gasping for air
• Do not respond to shouting or shaking
• Do not have a pulse

The main cause of cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, which are types of arrhythmias. Important risk factors include prior cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease, heart valve disease, congenital heart defects, and arrhythmias caused by faulty genes . However, half of cardiac arrests happen to people who did not know they had a heart problem.

Cardiac arrest is a common cause of death.

Cardiac arrest causes about 300,000 to 450,000 deaths in the United States each year.

Cardiac arrest causes about half of the deaths linked with heart attack and stroke.

Causes of Cardiac arrest

Irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias cause cardiac arrest. Learn more about the types of arrhythmias that can lead to cardiac arrest.

In children, cardiac arrest can occur after respiratory arrest (when breathing has stopped) due to choking or drowning.

Sometimes the cause of a cardiac arrest is not known.

What can trigger a cardiac arrest?

Sometimes an activity or behavior triggers a cardiac arrest. Triggering events are more common in people who have heart conditions or other risk factors.

Possible triggers include:,

• Heavy alcohol use or binge drinking
• Physical exertion or physical stress, including competitive sports: In 1 out of 3 cardiac arrests in athletes, the event occurred while they were resting or sleeping after activity. Some types of cardiomyopathy, and rarely, conduction disorders such as long QT syndrome, can cause cardiac arrest during exercise or sleep. However, regular physical activity lowers the risk of cardiac arrest.
• Recent use of cocaine, amphetamines, or marijuana
• Drinking too much coffee: This is more common in people who do not regularly drink coffee. Regular coffee drinkers should try to limit consumption to no more than six 5-ounce cups per day. Getting too much caffeine in powders, pills, or energy drinks can also lead to cardiac arrest.
• Severe emotional stress in the prior month
• Influenza (flu) infection in the prior month

Your risk of cardiac arrest increases with age. It’s rare in people younger than 30.

In younger people, the main risk factors are genetic arrhythmias, problems with the structure of the heart or coronary arteries, heart inflammation, and substance use.

In older adults, the main risk factors are coronary heart disease and other heart conditions.

Sex

Most cardiac arrests occur in men. Women’s risk increases after menopauseexternal link.

Race and ethnicity

Black people have double the risk of dying from cardiac arrest than white people do. Black women’s risk is higher than that of Black men. Hispanic and Asian people may have lower risk than white people do.

Family history

Some conditions that raise cardiac arrest risk run in families. Tell your healthcare provider about any blood relatives who have arrhythmias or cardiac conduction disorders, or had a cardiac arrest. Your provider will also want to know about any blood relatives whose deaths were early, unexpected, or unexplained or the result of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Certain genes can cause conditions linked with dangerous arrhythmias. These rare conditions include problems with the heart’s electrical system. Genetic disorders are the main cause of cardiac arrest in children and young adults.

Other medical conditions and events

Other medical conditions, medicines, and injuries can raise the risk of cardiac arrest.

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Respiratory arrest: If a person stops breathing, cardiac arrest will follow unless they get immediate treatment. Choking, drowning, trauma, drug overdose, and poisoning can cause respiratory arrest. Some medical conditions, such as pneumonia and seizure disorders, may also lead to respiratory arrest.

Diabetes and changes in the levels of electrolyte , such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the blood, raise the risk of cardiac arrest.

Certain medicines: Some antibiotics, diuretics, and heart medicines can worsen arrhythmias. Make sure your provider knows about all prescription and over-the-counter medicines you take.

A hard blow to the chest: Getting struck on the left side of your chest directly over the heart can lead to cardiac arrest. Most often these injuries are from a baseball, hockey puck, softball, or lacrosse ball. Chest injuries may also occur in soccer and football. Children (mainly boys) are at highest risk for this type of injury.