ALEXI SIMON
Old Dominion University
February 24, 2025
Let’s talk about the incidence of cardiac arrest in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest took over 413,000 lives in 2022. Cardiac arrest is simply explained as when the heart suddenly stops beating. Factors that increase the risk of experiencing cardiac arrest include smoking, obesity, malnutrition, overall health, age, and even ethnicity play a part in mortality rate as well.
Mentioning overall health, the factors previously mentioned, and heart disease can increase chances of experiencing cardiac arrest. The best protection against heart complications and risk of fatal heart emergencies would be to modify diet and lower low-density lipoproteins, our bad cholesterol, and increase high-density lipoproteins, our good cholesterol. According to the Center for Disease Control, most occurrences of cardiac arrest are fatal, with 60%-80% not surviving. Upon survival, people experience internal organ and brain injuries as well as mental distress leading to PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Ischemia is when the heart has difficulty getting enough oxygen and blood. This can be due to blockages caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is when plaque builds up within your arteries, making it difficult for smooth blood flow to occur. Symptoms of heart disease, ischemia, and or atherosclerosis include breathing difficulty, lightheadedness, chest pain, and fatigue. There are also various ischemic heart diseases, and each develop from various blood flow complications.
After ischemia has been found, medical specialists will attempt a reperfusion. Reperfusion’s goal is to clear those pathways and get blood flow back to normal. This can be done with medication and medical procedures.
Reperfusion improves health with 70%-80% success rates (Choi & Pile-Spellman, 2018) but also comes with possible complications itself if not accomplished early enough and can worsen ischemia related symptoms. When blood flow stops, brain damage begins. A reperfusion done too late or unsuccessfully can lead to hemorrhaging, regression, and further neurological damage. Leading researchers and scientist to look into other more effective treatments.
With the furthered research into the full capabilities and usage of mitochondrial cells, we are looking into the signaling and follow through of mitochondrial cells travel to assist damaged cells. We also want to know how we can replicate that process. Success has been seen in transplanting healthy mitochondrial cells and further research will be able to utilize an individual’s own healthy mitochondrial cells to replace the lacking ones in order to provide therapy for cardiac ischemia. (Valenti et al., 2021)
References
Choi J. H., & Pile-Spellman J. (2018). Reperfusion Changes After Stroke and Practical Approaches for Neuroprotection. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America, 28(4), 663-682. 10.1016/j.nic.2018.06.008
Authors (Publication_Date). Learn types of Ischemic Heart Disease: Cause and Symptoms. Publication_Title, https://www.hexahealth.com/blog/types-of-ischemic-heart-disease
Valenti D., Vacca R. A., Moro L., & Atlante A. (2021). Mitochondria Can Cross Cell Boundaries: An Overview of the Biological Relevance, Pathophysiological Implications and Therapeutic Perspectives of Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(15), 8312. 10.3390/ijms22158312
Authors (Publication_Date). . Publication_Title, https://www.heart.org/en/-/media/PHD-Files-2/Science-News/2/2025-Heart-and-Stroke-Stat-Update/2025-Statistics-At-A-Glance.pdf?sc_lang=en
Authors (2024, May 15). About Cardiac Arrest. Heart Disease, https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/cardiac-arrest.html