From: Health.com
By Theresa Tamkins
THURSDAY, June 25, 2009 (Health.com) — Iconic pop star Michael Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Thursday at the age of 50. Details of his death are still emerging, but friends and relatives say they have been concerned about Jackson’s use of prescription painkillers.
Brian Oxman, the Jackson family spokesman and attorney, told CNN that people surrounding Jackson were “enabling” him in his use of medications. Jackson had suffered a number of injuries, including a broken vertebra and a broken leg sustained in a fall on stage, Oxman said.
“If you think the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it is nothing in comparison to what we have seen taking place in Michael Jackson’s life,” Oxman told CNN.
“I do not know the extent of the medications that he was taking, but the reports that we have been receiving in the family is that it was extensive,” he said. “This is something which I feared and it is something that I warned about.”
Douglas Zipes, MD, a distinguished professor at the Indiana University Medical Center and past president of the American College of Cardiology, says that drug abuse can contribute to a cardiac arrest.
“Certainly drugs, in someone like Michael Jackson, have to considered,” he says. “We know that drugs like cocaine and amphetamines can trigger a cardiac arrest by themselves, and the summation of multiple drugs could ultimately result in a cardiac arrest.”
Jackson may have been underweight as well. He reportedly weighed 120 pounds in 2003. At 5’10” or 5’11” (reports vary), he would have had a body mass index of 16 or 17, and anything below 18.5 is considered underweight.
In recent months, friends and relatives had described Jackson as even more frail. Filmmaker Bryan Michael Stoller, who visited Jackson in April, told People, “I hugged him and it was like hugging bones.” And a fan who recently met Michael Jackson at a tour rehearsal reportedly wrote in an email this week, “He is a skeleton.”
Why weight loss can be dangerous
Extreme weight loss can cause electrolyte abnormalities, according to Dr. Zipes. “Two very important electrolytes, potassium and magnesium, are critically important in maintaining normal electrical activity of the heart,” he says. “[If] one or both electrolytes were very low, they can trigger cardiac arrest.”
Another factor that may have played a role is stress, says Dr. Zipes, who has not treated Jackson.
“He’s been under incredible emotional stress—the legal issues with the accusations of child molestation, the financial debt that he’s incurred, the prospect of a world tour after not performing for years; it would seem to be daunting,” he says. “All of these things would seem to be extremely stressful and stress certainly can play a role in the development of coronary disease and sudden death.”
In general, a cardiac arrest is much more dangerous than a heart attack.
During cardiac arrest, the heart actually stops beating and quivers with uncoordinated contractions. Unless a defibrillator is used to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm, death is inevitable. Someone experiencing a cardiac arrest generally collapses, loses consciousness, and stops breathing.
“[The heart] stops contracting effectively but it’s actually beating—if you take the word beating as an electrical event. The heart rate of the bottom chambers, the ventricles, is 400 to 600 times a minute—that’s ventricular fibrillation,” says Dr. Zipes. (The normal adult heart rate is 70 beats per minute.) “When it increases so dramatically it actually looks like a bag of squiggly worms—there’s no effective contraction.”
Despite dramatic TV portrayals of patients being revived from cardiac arrest, the chances of survival in real life are slim. If a bystander performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation until the heart can be shocked back into a normal rhythm, the chances of survival are much better.
About 95% of people who experience a cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital. Overall, about 1,000 cardiac arrests occur each day in the United States; that’s roughly 350,000 per year.
A heart attack, on the other hand, is a reduction in blood flow to the heart, which can cause a crushing chest pain known as angina, along with sweating, nausea, a sense of impending doom, and tissue death in part of the heart muscle. In contrast to cardiac arrest, heart attack patients may not lose consciousness. If they get rapid medical treatment, the prognosis is generally better. Heart attacks are about twice as common as cardiac arrests, but a heart attack can progress to a cardiac arrest if not treated.
Heart attacks are more common in those with heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. (Read more about heart attacks.) Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including heart disease, drowning, electrocution, choking, and traumatic injury.
The American Heart Association recommends that people know the warning signs of cardiac arrest (loss of consciousness, lack of pulse), call 911, and perform CPR until help arrives. Bystanders can even administer chest compressions alone and skip mouth-to-mouth breathing while waiting for emergency help or defibrillation, according to recent guidelines from the American Heart Association.
“I think it’s tragic whenever anybody has a sudden cardiac death, particularly somebody whom you would consider to be relatively young. I don’t think society considers that people in their 50s can die suddenly—I think that adds to the tragedy of the situation,” says Stephen Nicholls, MD, a cardiologist and assistant professor of molecular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio.
“The other thing it highlights is the importance of CPR and the importance of using defibrillators,” he says. There’s been a push in recent years to make sure automated defibrillators are in airports, shopping malls, and sports stadiums.
“The most prompt action to try to restore heart rhythm in that situation gives you the best chance of survival,” Dr. Nicholls says.
* Story updated 6/26/2009
Amazon.com Product Description
The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator. It's the latest in essential safety equipment. Fire extinguishers. Seat belts. Airbags. Home security systems. All essential safety equipment to protect yourself and your loved ones. You know they are there, silently standing by, just in case. They give you peace of mind so that you can focus on life's good things.
Be prepared for the unexpected.
When sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) strikes, the electrical system of the heart short circuits, causing the heart to quiver rather than pump in a normal rhythm. It typically results in the abnormal heart rhythm know as ventricular fibrillation (VF). It usually happens without warning and the majority of people have no previously recognized symptoms of heart disease. And it most often happens at home. For the best chance of survival from SCA caused by VF, a defibrillator should be used within 5 minutes. Yet, less than 1 in 20 people survive largely because a defibrillator does not arrive in time.
Just as seat belts or airbags do not save every life in a traffic accident, a defibrillator will not save every person who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. Yet many lives could be saved if more people could be reached more quickly.
HeartStart was designed with you in mind.
That's why we created the HeartStart Home Defibrillator. This award-winning safety equipment has been designed so that virtually anyone can use it to help save the life of a person who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest.
Clear, calm voice instructions talk you through each step. HeartStart senses and adapts the instructions based on your actions. Using sophisticated technology, HeartStart quickly decides whether a shock is necessary. It is designed to only deliver a shock if needed. It will even coach you through the steps of CPR.
Like other essential safety equipment, you buy HeartStart hoping that you never have to use it. Yet in that moment you need it, HeartStart must be ready. It performs comprehensive daily self-tests. You can check its status at a glance. Virtually no maintenance is required.
Who should have a HeartStart?
Anyone who wants a safer home.
Consider the other essential safety equipment you own to protect your loved ones in case of an emergency. Fire extinguishers. Seat belts. Airbags. Now consider the likelihood of needing this equipment.
HeartStart Home Defibrillator Contents:
* Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator
* Red carry case with 911/EMS card
* Adult SMART Pads cartridge* (lasts 2 years)
* Battery (lasts 4 years)
* Training video
* Free discount coupons for CPR training at American Heart Association, American Red Cross or Medic First Aid
* 5-year warranty
*The Infant/Child pads cartridge is sold separately, and available by prescription only. Contact Philips at 1-866-333-4246 for more information or to order.
A Support Program Enrollment Card is also included. By enrolling in this free program, you will have access to a range of services, including:
* Important notifications about HeartStart
* Customer service*
* Periodic accessory reminders
* Post-use counseling*
*These services are available to all HeartStart owners.
Philips will send you a free Fast Response Kit (over $40 value) for enrolling in the Support Program.
Consider these things before your purchase:
* If you have questions or concerns about your health, or an existing medical condition, please talk with your doctor. A defibrillator does not take the place of seeking medical care.
* You cannot use the HeartStart to treat yourself.
* Users may need to perform CPR.
* Responding to cardiac arrest may require you to kneel.
* Voice instructions and enclosed materials are in English.
* HeartStart provides audible and visible indicators when maintenance is required.
Indications for Use: HeartStart is used to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) who are not responsive and not breathing normally. If in doubt, apply the pads. The HeartStart treats the most common cause of SCA by delivering a shock to the heart. Use HeartStart and CPR, as needed, until emergency professionals arrive.
If you have concerns about your health or an existing medical condition, please talk to your doctor. A defibrillator is not a replacement for seeking medical care.
Product Description
FREE CARRY CASE with each unit purchased! Like other pieces of essential safety equipment, The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator was designed to be safe, reliable and easy to use. With more than 175,000 devices deployed, Philips is the worldwide market leader in portable defibrillators on airplanes, and in airports, workplaces, communities, and homes. The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator is the first and only home defibrillator available without a prescription for use by virtually anyone to help save a life when minutes count. This award-winning defibrillator has consistently been recognized for its ease of use. FREE CARRY CASE with each unit purchased!
Step 1: After calling 911, grab HeartStart and place it next to the victim. Pull the green handle to begin the automated voice instructions.
Step 2: Remove clothing from the patient's torso. Cut clothing if needed. It is important that the patient's chest is bare.
Step 3: Peel open the protective cover and take out the white adhesive pads.
Step 4: Look closely at the pictures on the white adhesive pads. Follow the voice instructions to remove the pads from the yellow plastic liner and place exactly as shown in the pictures on the victim's chest.
Step 5: Once the pads are in place, HeartStart will automatically analyze the victim's heart rhythm and determine if a shock is needed. If a shock is required, press the flashing orange button to deliver the shock. Do not touch the patient until you are instructed that it is safe to do so.
Step 6: If needed, begin CPR. Press the flashing blue button for step-by-step CPR coaching. Continue to follow HeartStart's instructions until professional emergency responders arrive.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment