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Cardiac syncope is a sudden loss of consciousness caused by insufficient oxygenated blood in the brain due to heart problems such as obstructive heart lesions and arrhythmias. Mechanical causes like aortic stenosis and myocardial infarction can also lead to cardiac syncope. Automated external defibrillators can help save lives in some cases.
“Syncope” is a medical term used to refer to complete loss of consciousness that is sudden and may not present with obvious signs and symptoms that serve as a warning to seek immediate medical attention. Most people simply call fainting syncope. “Cardiac” refers to the heart muscle, so cardiac syncope is a sudden loss of consciousness caused by an insufficient supply of oxygenated blood circulating in the blood vessels of the brain. The heart pumps blood throughout the body and if it fails, blood will not be supplied to all tissues in adequate quantities, including the brain. A number of medical problems and conditions can cause syncope, but when syncope is directly linked to a problem with the heart, it is cardiac syncope.
There are many heart disorders that can lead to inadequate pumping action or the complete cessation of normal heart beats, which in turn can result in cardiac syncope. Problems can occur with the electrical activity of the heart and with the mechanical pumping action of the muscle itself. Unlike other forms of syncope or fainting, loss of consciousness due to a heart problem can and often results in cardiac arrest, followed by respiratory arrest. This is clinical death, after which biological death will quickly occur if the patient is not resuscitated. Someone suffering from cardiac syncope is unresponsive and may not have a pulse, depending on the exact condition or ailment that caused the accident.
Obstructive heart lesions and arrhythmias are the types of health problems that put an individual at risk of suffering from cardiac syncope. It goes without saying that any type of obstruction can partially or completely interfere with the oxygenated blood reaching the brain. The term “arrhythmias” refers to a group of various types of abnormal heart rhythms. Some of these are of immediate and major concern, including ventricular tachycardia, also known as V-tach. Other arrhythmias that lead to cardiac syncope are ventricular fibrillation (VF) and asystole.
Aortic stenosis and myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, are among the mechanical causes of the left ventricle of the heart not functioning, leading to an interruption of blood flow to the brain. There are various medical interventions that can be taken to avoid cardiac syncope and to attempt to save the patient’s life after it has occurred. For example, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been designed and developed to analyze various arrhythmias such as VF, V-tach, pulseless electrical activity (PEA), and asystole. The AED, after analysis, will shock or recommend a shock if the arrhythmia is shockable. Cardiac syncope caused by asystole and PEA, however, is not shockable.
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