First Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi passes away due to cardiac arrest; here’s why and how cardiac arrests happen

Ajit Jogi, who served as the first Chief Minister of the newly-formed state of Chhattisgarh between 2000 and 2003, passed away at the age of 74 due to a cardiac arrest. He is survived by his wife, Renu Jogi, and son, Amit Jogi who made the announcement on Twitter today. [caption id=“attachment_5510181” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi. Image Courtesy: Firstpost/Debobrat Ghose[/caption] Reports suggest that Jogi had been hospitalised at the Shree Narayana Hospital in Raipur about three weeks ago and that he had two cardiac arrests in the last week. His condition reportedly worsened around 1.30 pm this afternoon, and doctors were unable to revive him even after trying to for two hours. Here’s everything you need to know about cardiac arrests, and why they are often fatal.

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest is an emergency medical condition where the heart of an otherwise healthy person stops functioning. In most of the cases, the condition can be fatal if the person is not revived immediately. A study published in the International Journal of Cardiology in 2010 reveals that 10.3% of deaths in India occur due to sudden cardiac arrests, especially when a patient has other comorbidities.

Why does cardiac arrest occur?

No specific cause of cardiac arrest is known yet as, in most of the cases, it happens all of a sudden, without any prior symptoms. However, doctors have found two reasons for cardiac arrest: one is ventricular fibrillation (v-fib) and the other is arrhythmia. In v-fib, the lower chamber of the heart, called the ventricles, start vibrating very rapidly and irregularly, which causes the heart to pump little or no blood to the body. Other than v-fib, cardiac arrest can occur due to an electrical malfunction in the heart that leads it to beat in an irregular manner, which is called an arrhythmia. In this condition, the muscles of the heart do not get strong signals and so they stop pumping blood to the heart. Death can occur within minutes if the affected person is not given treatment within minutes.

What’s the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack?

No, a heart attack is not the same as cardiac arrest. Heart attacks are caused when there is a blockage in one or more arteries of the heart. In this case, the blood flow to the heart slows down but does not stop. Heart attack can cause the death of the heart muscle but that also happens slowly and gradually. A person can show symptoms of a heart attack hours or days before the actual heart attack happens. On the other hand, a cardiac arrest is sudden and does not show any prior symptoms. For more information, read our article on Cardiac Arrest. Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.