Cardiac Arrest

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during systole.

What is Cardiac Arrest?

A cardiac arrest is also called a cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest and indicates a sudden stop in effective and normal blood circulation due to failure of the heart to pump blood.

Cardiac Arrest Prevention

Cardiac Arrest Prognosis

What is Lazarus Syndrome (Autoresuscitation)?

Cardiac Arrest Treatment

Cardiac Arrest Ethical Issues

Heart attack and cardiac arrest difference

Latest Cardiac Arrest News and Research

American Heart Association supports research to improve cardiac outcomes for millions of patients

New research is bringing science one critical step closer to understanding what causes cardiac arrest and potentially preventing it.

13 Apr 2026

For many patients leaving the ICU, the struggle has only just begun

The accident happened in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Joseph Masterson, a lawyer who was just days from retiring at age 63, suffered cardiac arrest while driving, plowed into a guardrail, and lost consciousness.

10 Apr 2026

New guidelines and follow-up standards improve pulmonary embolism outcomes

Pulmonary embolism, or PE, is a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow.

8 Apr 2026

Mount Sinai launches Adams Valve Institute for advanced heart care

The Mount Sinai Health System today announced the launch of the Adams Valve Institute, a new global center dedicated to advancing comprehensive care and surgical techniques for patients with heart valve disease.

7 Apr 2026

Study investigates how the brain maintains consciousness during physiological failure

Near-death experiences continue to challenge the scientific understanding of consciousness: how can vivid and structured reports be explained at moments of extreme physiological failure?

7 Apr 2026

Overnight machine perfusion enables safe daytime liver transplants

It is safe for patients to receive a donor liver that has been intentionally preserved overnight using machine perfusion to enable a daytime transplant.

3 Apr 2026

Left-ventricular unloading during angioplasty fails to improve patient outcomes

The first randomized trial to compare standard percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, with PCI accompanied by the use of a temporary, miniaturized pump to support the heart in patients with both severe coronary heart disease and moderate to severe heart failure found no significant difference between the two approaches.

29 Mar 2026

American Heart Association funds student programs to expand CPR training

According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time.

26 Mar 2026

No link between Covid-19 vaccines and sudden cardiac death

The study reveals COVID-19 vaccines do not increase sudden cardiac death risk in youth, highlighting the importance of accurate health messaging.

24 Mar 2026

Early biomarker predicts cognitive impairment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Routine early measurement of neurofilament light chain could help improve prediction of cognitive impairment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to a study presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2026, the annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

23 Mar 2026

Study finds a clear link between ultraprocessed food and heart disease risk

A prospective analysis of 6,531 adults in the multiethnic MESA cohort found that higher ultraprocessed food intake was associated with a graded increase in incident ASCVD risk, with each additional daily serving linked to about a 5% higher risk. The association was stronger in Black participants, while no significant interaction was seen by sex or income.

18 Mar 2026

Ultra-processed food consumption associated with increased risk for heart disease

People who consumed over nine servings of ultra-processed foods per day on average were 67% more likely to suffer a major cardiac event than people consuming about one serving of such foods per day, in a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

17 Mar 2026

New guidelines outline comprehensive care for acute pulmonary embolism

Early detection and prompt treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), a sudden and potentially life-threatening blood clot that blocks arteries in the lungs, is critical.

19 Feb 2026

Schools and families may not be fully prepared to respond to teen cardiac emergencies

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, including teens, and a new national poll suggests many schools and families may not be fully prepared to respond.

16 Feb 2026

Novel DAMP markers advance myocardial contusion detection

Researchers are exploring a new generation of biochemical markers that may help clinicians detect myocardial contusion. A frequently overlooked form of heart injury caused by blunt chest trauma, earlier and more accurately.

12 Feb 2026

Public preparedness key to improving cardiac arrest survival

When a medical emergency happens, time matters and a quick response is needed. During American Heart Month 2026, the National Fraternal Order of Police joins the American Heart Association in urging Americans everywhere to be the help until help arrives and learn how to respond in a medical emergency such as cardiac arrest – when providing help like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be the difference between life and death.

12 Feb 2026

Artificial lung keeps patient alive after lung removal

Researchers evaluate the effectiveness of a novel extracorporeal total artificial lung system to enable bilateral pneumonectomy in patients with severe ARDS.

5 Feb 2026

New survey reveals widespread myths about Hands-Only CPR

New consumer survey findings from the American Heart Association show that nearly six in every ten American adults still incorrectly believe only those with special training should perform Hands-Only CPR.

4 Feb 2026

Pre-hospital air ambulance care boosts survival after major trauma

Air ambulance pre-hospital care (HEMS) may make surviving critical injury more likely as it's associated with saving 5 more lives than would be expected in every 100 major trauma cases, suggests an analysis of survival data for one regional service in South East England, and published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

3 Feb 2026

Simpler hemiarch surgery effective for older aortic dissection patients

Ascending aortic hemiarch reconstruction offers the same long-term benefits to patients over age 65 with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) as more complex extended arch reconstruction procedures, according to a study presented today at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

1 Feb 2026