The sports world is still reeling over the sudden cardiac arrest of NFL’s Damar Hamlin last week, that almost took his life. Prompt CPR and medical attention most likely saved the 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety who collapsed on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin is now back home while he continues to recover. He was lucky, since only 12% of those who suffer cardiac arrests survive. But experts say women are even less likely to survive sudden cardiac arrest because bystanders are slower to provide resuscitation to women, and their symptoms may be different from those of men.

According to Healthline, a new study by the European Society of Cardiology revealed that there are warning signs for cardiac arrest. Researchers noted that cardiac arrest does not occur completely unnoticed. They said this discovery could be a game-changer for preventative measures for this health emergency in patients most at risk. One important signal is that patients tend to visit their primary care physicians more frequently in the period leading up to the life-threatening event. The scientists believe this shows there are more warning signs of impending cardiac arrest than previously thought.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when an electrical malfunction in the heart causes an irregular heartbeat, an arrhythmia, that causes the heart to stop beating, according to UCLA Health.

“The most common underlying cause for cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease,” says Dr. Salvatore Savona, an electrophysiologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “The classic typical symptoms are chest pain or chest pressure that becomes worse with exertion and improves with rest. It typically lasts for a few minutes at least.

“However, there are atypical symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, or shortness of breath. Men usually present with typical symptoms. Women may present with more atypical symptoms, which could result in a delay identifying the underlying cause of symptoms.”

Cardiac arrest results from electrical disturbances that cause the heart to suddenly stop beating properly. In cardiac arrest, death can result quickly if steps aren’t taken immediately. “Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR is performed and a defibrillator shocks the heart and restores a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes,” says the American Heart Association. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital in the U.S. each year, says the AHA.  Only 12% survive. Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, which is more of a circulation issue, when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but almost any known heart condition, including heart attack, can cause cardiac arrest, says CNN.

The researchers in the new study found that death usually occurs within 10 to 20 minutes if blood flow isn’t restored.  They noted that because women have atypical symptoms, treatment may be delayed. If someone has a sudden cardiac arrest, resuscitation must occur immediately. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), when started within minutes, can triple the chance of survival.

However, many people still see heart disease, heart attacks and cardiac arrests as a man’s disease, even though 40% of cardiac arrests occur in women, says Healthline.

“Women might have delayed treatment because of a delayed recognition of their atypical symptoms,” said Savona. According to WebMD, previous studies found that people are also less likely to perform bystander CPR on women than on men. The respondents said they were worried about hurting a woman while doing CPR chest compressions and fear being accused of sexual assault. Some believed that women’s breasts get in the way of CPR.

To prevent or reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrest:

• Stop smoking.

• Talk to your doctor about family history of heart disease.

• Pay attention to warning signs, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue, fainting, dizziness, or flu-like symptoms.

• Follow up on medical care, including routine physicals and blood tests.

• Exercise aerobically for at least 150 minutes weekly, according to guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Take medication as prescribed.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet.

If anyone in your family is at risk for sudden cardiac death, ask family members to take a CPR class and consider buying an automated external defibrillator (AED) for your home.  

• Bills Safety Hamlin Back in Buffalo to Continue Recovery