Tuesday, January 3

Update on Damar? Still sedated, or regained consciousness?

Respect the family's privacy, sure, but this is one of the top national news stories today, for sure...

Anyone can have a cardiac arrest but older people, men, and those with underlying heart problems are more at risk. Cardiac arrests are rare in people under the age of 30, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. About 1 in 10 cardiac arrests are linked with physical exertion, it said.

Heart attacks can lead to cardiac arrests, but the two are different. During a heart attack, the heart is still pumping but the blood supply to the heart is cut off, often by a clot in a coronary artery. If someone is having a cardiac arrest, they will suddenly collapse, lose consciousness, be unresponsive, and either will be breathing abnormally (such as gasping), or won't be breathing at all, the BHF said. If a person is heaving a heart attack, they will remain conscious and breathing.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal nearly 90% of the time, according to the American Heart Association.