Cardiac arrest

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cardiac-arrest

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key diagnostic tool?Electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify underlying arrhythmias
2. What is the critical interventions?Early CPR, defibrillation via AED, and advanced medical support
3. Why does the heart sometimes stop beating?It can happen when the heart’s electrical signals get mixed up, like in ventricular fibrillation, or because of heart disease, low electrolytes, or a serious injury.
4. How do doctors help a heart that has stopped?Doctors use CPR to push the chest and keep blood moving, and an AED to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Ventricular Fibrillation (VF): A life-threatening chaotic electrical activity in the ventricles causing ineffective pumping.