Ventricular asystole of the heart

Dangerous pathology - asystole of the heart. What it is? A condition in which the contractile work of the myocardium stops completely. Together with the cessation of the work of the heart, cerebral circulation is disturbed, breathing stops and clinical death occurs.

If timely help is not provided to the patient, then ventricular asystole will end in death.

Reasons for the development of asystole

Asystole develops against a background of prolonged cardiac arrhythmia or suddenly. This condition can be caused by both cardiac factors (severe heart damage) and non-cardiac (impaired circulatory processes).

Asystole is the cessation of mechanical and electrical activity in the lower cavities of the heart (ventricles).

In addition to physiological pathologies, asystole is caused by:

• overdose of drugs, narcotic or analgesic substances;
• carbon monoxide poisoning;
• injuries resulting from electric shock or treatment with electricity;
• the introduction of a large dose of anesthesia or its individual intolerance;
• increased stimulation of the vagus nerve, which is typical for surgical interventions (especially in ophthalmology);
• frostbite (when body temperature drops to 28 degrees Celsius);
• drowning or suffocation;
• severe metabolic pathologies;
• any heart surgery and coronary angiography.

Diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, bad habits, hypertension and old age are factors that contribute to the onset and rapid progression of cardiovascular diseases. As a result, the risk of developing asystole and death of the patient is significantly increased.

Excessive intake of a potassium solution into the body (observed with an overdose of cardiac glycosides) can also cause asystole. This leads to increased excitability of the heart muscle.

Signs of asystole

Asystole requires immediate resuscitation, as the lack of timely assistance will lead to death. In most cases, when a sick person has an attack, others do not assume that this is exactly asystole and do not take the necessary actions.

To provide timely first aid, you need to know the signs of pathology:

• blood pressure indicators are greatly reduced;
• cease to be heard heart tones;
• on the large main arteries, the pulse disappears;
• due to the cessation of blood circulation throughout the body, the patient has pallor and grayness of the skin;
• respiratory function is disturbed (the presence of breathing can be checked by bringing a small mirror to the patient's airways);
• 45 seconds after the attack, there is a strong dilation of the pupils, they also stop responding to light;
• if a person is unconscious for 30 seconds, this may indicate cardiac arrest.

If the patient is diagnosed with atrial asystole, then death does not occur with it. Atrial asystole causes only a violation of the heart rhythm, but does not contribute to its complete stop, followed by a cessation of the blood supply to the brain and other body systems.

Treatment of asystole should be carried out at the initial stage of the disease. Such a careful attitude to one's health will make it possible to prevent attacks with a probability of death.

Resuscitation for asystole

If a person has symptoms of asystole, it is necessary to provide first aid as soon as possible and call an ambulance team that can provide the necessary treatment.

If this does not happen, irreversible consequences begin in the internal organs and the brain.

The order is:

1. The unconscious person should be placed on a hard surface (such as the floor).
2. Put a small roller under your head, you also need to put something under your legs so that they are above your head.
3. Respiratory voids (in particular, the oral and nasal cavities) must be cleared of mucus.
4. In the region of the precordial node (approximately in the middle of the sternum), it is necessary to beat with a fist.

If these actions do not help, you should not waste time, it is better to immediately start chest compressions and artificial respiration.

An indirect heart massage is performed as follows:

1. The right palm is located on the heart so that its base rests on the lower edge of the sternum.
2. The left palm is placed on top of the right to increase pressure.
3. Every second, rhythmic pressure is applied to the region of the heart.

Important! After pressing, it is necessary to tear off the palms from the sternum to allow the heart to fill with blood.

Two people are needed to perform heart massage and artificial respiration at the same time. In this case, after every 15 mouth-to-mouth breaths (through a napkin), oxygen is pushed into the patient's airways.

After the pulse appears, you can not stop resuscitation. They end only when the patient's breathing is fully restored.

Even if it turned out to bring a person to his senses, you need to wait for an ambulance. Only physicians have drugs and devices that can check and fully restore the functioning of the heart. In addition, doctors will be able to immediately prescribe the necessary treatment to prevent recurrent attacks.

After an attack, it is important to conduct examinations and determine the degree of pathological processes in the cardiovascular system. Treatment of heart pathologies should be carried out immediately after the discovery of a problem, if you start the disease, you can cause serious consequences for the whole organism.