Cardiac arrest in children

Sadly enough, the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained. March 26, 2008, Rebecca Knowles and her husband rushed to their son's bedroom. There, they found 7-year-old Cameron died with cardiac arrest. This was a tragic shock to his family and friends. 

Fortunately, heart attacks in children are exceedingly rare. This is caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle and is usually a result of atherosclerosis, or plaque build-up in the coronary arteries, the arteries that feed the heart muscle with blood. The heart degenerates into chaotic and abnormal electrical rhythms and the heart beats out of control (ventricular defibrillation).

Causes 

There are two major causes for heart failure. The first, called due to circulation failure, occurs when blood mixes in the heart due to a congenital heart defect. Pump Failure can be caused by a virus infection that damages the normal heart muscle and the infection that prevents effective blood flow to the heart muscles.

The second, called pump failure occurs when the heart muscles become weak and impair, they no longer contract normally. Problems with the coronary arteries occur from birth.

Family Inherited heart conditions can affect people of any age and can be life threatening. 

Signs & symptoms

• Fainting during physical exertion (syncope) and seizure are the warning signs of cardiac arrest in children
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Difficulty in feeding
• Very rarely chest pain

How to overcome

• Breastfeed the infants as long as possible. 
• Feed the child mostly with fruits and vegetables
• Avoid eating fast food too often. 
• Avoid sugary drinks
• Serve water and low-fat milk.
• Avoid artificial drinks and prefer fruit juice.
• Total fat intake should be below 30% to 35% daily.
• Choose brown rice over refined grains like white rice for added nutrients and fiber.
• Don't force the children to finish everything on their plate. Allow children to tell when they feel full and are done.
• Get about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
• Keep screen time (computer/ TV/ video game) to less than 2 hours per day.
• Avoid smoking.