Apr 27 2024
#worldheartday: A Vacation turned nightmare – A young 31 yr old mother got sudden cardiac arrest revived successfully at Aster Hospital Sharjah
Fri 29 Sep 2023
Sharjah: 31-year-old Mrs. Shahil, mother of 2 children, had been to a recreational water park where she started experiencing racing heart beats with a near fainting situation. She was not feeling well and eventually wanted to get back home. And while in the car she started feeling uncomfortable again and lost consciousness again. She was very fortunate that she was close to Aster Hospital Sharjah when this happened and was quickly brought to the emergency.
The patient on arrival to the emergency was unresponsive and had no pulse or BP. She was in cardiac arrest and was resuscitated with chest compressions and shocks were delivered from the defibrillator machine as she had an abnormal heart rhythm with a very high heart rate.
She was identified to have an abnormality of heart muscle involving the right side of her heart called – ARVD- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Disease. The family was completely in shock – they could not believe it- they had too many questions to ask – she was too young had a normal delivery 6 months before only – there is no family history of heart disease or sudden deaths- then why did she get it?
ARVD is one of the under-recognized causes for sudden cardiac death in young where in, the right and in some cases left side of the heart muscle gets weaker and is prone to abnormal heart rhythms which can cost the life of the patient.
They need to be implanted with AICD (Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) to protect from the risk of sudden cardiac death in the future which she underwent and is doing fine here.
The disease also has a tendency to be passed on to future generations and as of now all her kids and siblings seem to be free of the disease when screened.
Many times, sudden cardiac arrest/death could be the first presentation like in our patient. But they also can have other symptoms like palpitation, dizziness, or extreme fatiguability which many young people ignore and tend to attribute to their stressful life…
Apart from acute heart attacks (the leading killer across ages starting from 30 years of age), under-recognized structural heart disease and rhythm disorders are important causes of sudden cardiac death in young people. Early identification and treatment, coupled with a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle can help us avoid such catastrophic complications before it strikes.
