 This condition can be reversed, but it requires immediate veterinary care to lower the risk of serious complications. Cardiac arrest can become fatal without prompt treatment from a veterinary professional. Cardiac arrest in cats occurs when regular blood circulation stops, which causes the heart to stop beating. This can happen when cats are unable to breathe normally for several minutes. The respiratory system and cardiovascular system in cats normally work together to ensure regular blood circulation, a normal heart rate, normal breathing, and healthy blood pressure levels. When the respiratory system is affected by illness or trauma, oxygen levels in the blood can drop low enough to lead to cardiac arrest. Post-cardiac arrest syndrome, definition and pathogenesis. Post-cardiac arrest syndrome is a complex pathological response that occurs as a sequela to global body ischemia followed by reperfusion. The four main components of PCA syndrome include brain injury, myocardial dysfunction, systemic ischemia or reperfusion injury, and pre-existing comorbidities. Paradoxically is the return of perfusion that causes further damage to the organ itself, and may induce systemic damage to distant organs. Ischemia is when oxygen supply is less than the demand needed for normal tissue function. It results in anaerobic glycolysis and significantly decreased production of energy to 2 ATP plus lactate. Elevating lactate levels will lower the pH in the tissue which feedbacks negatively to inhibit ATP production. ATP is broken down into hyposanthine and xanthine, which later becomes important in reperfusion injury in the production of free radicals. With no ATP production, the NaKaT pays and calcium membrane pumped no longer work. This results in an influx of intracellular water and cellular swelling. Increased intracellular calcium results in the conversion of the enzyme xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase. With the return of blood flow, there is an influx of oxygen into the tissues, which catalyzes xanthine oxidase to degrade hyposanthine and xanthine, thus liberating the highly reactive superoxide anion and uric acid as byproducts. Superoxide is subsequently converted to the hydroxyl radical and consequently results in peroxidation of the cell's lipid membranes and results in the production and systemic release of pro-inflammatory icosanoids, disruption of cell permeability, and ultimately cell death. Neuronal tissue is sensitive during anaerobic glycolysis and will deplete its ATP resources within 2-4 minutes compared to 20-40 minutes in the gastrointestinal tract and myocardium. Myocyte dysfunction results from ischemia and reperfusion similar to what occurs at the cellular level in the nervous system. Neuronal injury can manifest as delirium tachoma, seizures, myoclinus, cognitive dysfunction, cortical blindness, or brain death. Symptoms and Types. Blood circulation may remain intact if the animal resumes breathing within 4 minutes of the initial problem. However, if it lasts longer than 6 minutes it can lead to cardiac arrest. Common symptoms associated with this emergency include. Dilated pupils. Spontaneous loss of consciousness, syncope. Bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes, cyanosis, a sign that oxygen in the blood is dangerously diminished. Heavy breathing, dyspnea, and gasping. Hypothermia. Lack of response to stimulation. Causes of cardiac arrest in cats. Cardiac arrest in cats can occur for a number of reasons. Possible causes of this condition include the following. Oxygen levels in the blood that are too low. A low supply of oxygen. Heart disease. A metabolic disease. An electrolyte imbalance. Brain injuries. Low levels of bodily fluids. Blood poisoning from toxic bacteria and the bloodstream. A shock from trauma. Anesthesia for medical procedures. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. Diagnosis of cardiac arrest in cats. A prompt and accurate diagnosis of cardiac arrest in cats is important in order for veterinarians to treat it properly. A diagnosis includes providing a veterinarian with information on the cat's medical history and details on when symptoms began to appear and what types of symptoms occurred. Owners should also tell a veterinarian any relevant details that might help explain why their cat went into cardiac arrest, such as an injury or possible exposure to toxic substances. This can help veterinarians treat or manage underlying conditions after they have restored cardiac function. Doing so can help stabilize cats and lower the risk of complications. Veterinarians typically do a physical exam that includes checking circulation and respiration for any abnormalities. This exam also involves regularly monitoring blood pressure and checking pulse rates. Veterinarians also perform tests to determine what is causing cardiac arrest. Common tests that are used include x-rays of the chest, blood samples to check the levels of oxygen and other gases, echocardiography to check for evidence of heart disease and a complete blood count. Other tests that are often done include a biochemistry profile in urine tests, which help veterinarians find out what might have led to cardiac arrest. Treatment of Cardiac Arrest in Cats Since the cardiac arrest in cats is an emergency, prompt veterinary care is required. Owners should bring cats to the nearest veterinary hospital or emergency clinic for treatment. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Immediate medical care by veterinary professionals involves getting the heart to begin beating again and restoring its natural rhythm, as well as returning the cat's respiration rate to normal. Veterinarians do this by clearing the airways and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In some cases, veterinarians place a tube down the airways to help keep breathing regularly. They might also administer oxygen to restore normal levels of this gas in the bloodstream. Medications that help support regular cardiac function are usually given to cats that are under cardiac arrest. Cardiac massage and impressions. Another method of restarting the heart involves performing cardiac massage on the chest, which is sometimes required in cats that have heart failure. When this is ineffective, veterinarians might perform chest compressions. These compressions involve pushing down on the chest rapidly to get the heart beating again. Open chest resuscitation. If cardiac massage and chest compressions are unsuccessful, veterinarians might make incisions in the chest in order to restart the heart. They might also inject medications into the heart to try to restore a heartbeat. Recovery of cardiac arrest in cats. Cardiac arrest in cats has a low recovery rate, although this depends in part on what cause this condition to occur and how soon treatment began. The type of treatment that was used can also have an impact on recovery. For example, cats typically require a longer time to recover after having open chest resuscitation. Cats usually have to stay in a veterinary hospital for the first few days after treatment to ensure that their condition stabilizes. During this time, veterinarians frequently check blood pressure, cardiac function, and respiratory function. If any complications occur, these are treated promptly to help increase the chance of a successful recovery. Owners should bring their cats in for follow-up visits as often as needed. Living in management. The overall prognosis will depend on the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest and the course of treatment. Unfortunately, less than 10% of cats recover, even after successful emergency treatment. If your cat's condition does stabilize, it will need to stay in the hospital for a few days. There, the veterinarian may monitor cardiac functions and blood pressure and treat any further complications. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.