Cardiac Arrest Ends Pop Star's Life

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By AOL Health Editors

King of Pop Michael Jackson has died due to cardiac arrest. Reports indicate that paramedics responded to a 911 call from Jackson's home, where they found him unconscious and not breathing. News sources are reporting that CPR was administered in the ambulance on the way to UCLA Medical Center in an attempt to revive the failing Jackson, and reports have surfaced that Jackson was dead on arrival. There have also been rumors that Jackson's cardiac arrest was due to a heavy addiction to prescription painkillers.

While the terms heart attack and cardiac arrest are often used interchangeably, the two events are markedly different. During a heart attack, the muscle damage caused by a blood clot does not totally stop the heart from beating. It only slows or falters. However, during sudden cardiac arrest the entire heart suddenly stops pumping blood to the body.

Sudden cardiac arrest often strikes seemingly healthy people and stems from an electrical malfunction that causes the heart's lower chambers to beat quickly and often chaotically. Contractions are so close together that the heart can't relax enough to fill with blood, causing circulation to halt. Nearly 20 percent of deaths in the United States are due to cardiac arrest each year, and the survival rate for patients stricken by sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital is only 5 percent, according to Harvard Medical School. A patient's only hope for survival is to start CPR immediately, which needs to be followed by a jolt from a defibrillator to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Warning signs of an impending heart attack or cardiac arrest include not only chest pain, but also numbness, pinching, prickling or uncomfortable sensations in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Other symptoms include: unexplained shortness of breath, sudden nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness or dizziness, unusual fatigue and a cold sweat. If you notice one or more of the signs in yourself or someone else, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number.

Michael Jackson

Pop star Michael Jackson poses after receiving the Legend Award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2006 in Tokyo in this May 27, 2006 file photo. Michael Jackson has been rushed to UCLA Medical Center by fire department paramedics, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/Files (JAPAN ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH)

Reuters

U.S. pop star Michael Jackson opens a car window to greet fans as he arrives at the venue for the "Premium VIP Party with Michael Jackson" in Tokyo in this March 8, 2007 file photo. Michael Jackson has been rushed to UCLA Medical Center by fire department paramedics, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Kiyoshi Ota/Files (JAPAN ENTERTAINMENT HEADSHOT HEALTH)

Reuters

Pop star Michael Jackson smiles during a news conference at the O2 Arena in this file photo taken in London on March 5, 2009. Michael Jackson has been rushed to UCLA Medical Center by fire department paramedics, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/Files (BRITAIN ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY HEADSHOT HEALTH)

Reuters

U.S. pop star Michael Jackson gestures during a news conference at the O2 Arena in London in this March 5, 2009 file photo. Michael Jackson has been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009. The newspaper said paramedics went to the singer's home and found he was not breathing. They performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/Files (BRITAIN ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY HEALTH HEADSHOT)

Reuters

U.S. pop star Michael Jackson gestures during a news conference at the O2 Arena in London in this March 5, 2009 file photo. Jackson has been rushed to a Los Angeles-area by fire department paramedics, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009. The newspaper said paramedics went to the singer's home and found he was not breathing. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/Files (BRITAIN ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY HEALTH)

Reuters

FILE - In this March 5, 2009 file photo, US singer Michael Jackson is shown at a press conference in London, announcing plans to appear at the London O2 Arena in July. A New Jersey concert promoter has sued entertainer Michael Jackson for $40 million for allegedly breaching a contract to play a reunion concert with other family members. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday June 10, 2009 in federal court in Manhattan, Allgood Entertainment claims it made a deal with Jackson's then-manager to produce a reunion concert with the Jackson family this summer. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)

Michael Jackson sighting at antique store on April 22, 2009 in Hollywood, California. Celebrity Sightings in Los Angeles - April 22, 2009 Los Angeles, CA United States April 22, 2009 Photo by PEX/FilmMagic.com To license this image (57254576), contact FilmMagic.com

PEX/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic.com

Michael Jackson buying Pierre Jean Van Der Ouderaa reproductions (expensive copies of Xvi and XVII century flamish painting) and Christofle silverware (overprice) in Beverly Hills April 21, 2009 X17online.com exclusive

Fabio/X17online.com

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