cardiac arrest: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Medical/Technical, but widely understood in general contexts.
Quick answer
What does “cardiac arrest” mean?
A sudden, often fatal, cessation of the heart's pumping function, stopping blood circulation.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A sudden, often fatal, cessation of the heart's pumping function, stopping blood circulation.
A medical emergency where the heart stops beating effectively, requiring immediate intervention (like CPR or defibrillation) to prevent death. Figuratively, it can describe a sudden, complete stop or failure of a system or process.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The term is identical in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical medical/emergency connotations.
Frequency
Equally common in both medical and lay reporting.
Grammar
How to Use “cardiac arrest” in a Sentence
Patient + suffer/experience + cardiac arrestPatient + go into + cardiac arrestSomething + cause/trigger + cardiac arrest + in + patientVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cardiac arrest” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The patient arrested in the ambulance.
- He arrested shortly after admission.
American English
- The patient arrested in the ambulance.
- He went into v-fib and arrested.
adjective
British English
- The cardiac-arrest protocol was activated immediately.
- He is a cardiac-arrest survivor.
American English
- The cardiac arrest protocol was activated stat.
- She is a sudden cardiac arrest survivor.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare; used figuratively for a sudden, catastrophic failure (e.g., 'The merger talks went into cardiac arrest.').
Academic
Common in medical, biological, and public health literature.
Everyday
Common in news reports and general discussion of health emergencies.
Technical
The precise clinical term used by healthcare professionals.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cardiac arrest”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cardiac arrest”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cardiac arrest”
- Using 'heart attack' and 'cardiac arrest' interchangeably.
- Saying 'cardiac arrest attack'.
- Misspelling as 'cardic arrest'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A heart attack is a circulation problem (blocked artery). Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem causing the heart to stop beating. A heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest.
Yes, with immediate treatment like CPR and defibrillation, survival is possible. Chances decrease rapidly with every minute without treatment.
In medical jargon, it is a shorthand for 'going into cardiac arrest'.
The most common immediate cause is ventricular fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
A sudden, often fatal, cessation of the heart's pumping function, stopping blood circulation.
Cardiac arrest is usually medical/technical, but widely understood in general contexts. in register.
Cardiac arrest: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɑː.di.æk əˈrest/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːr.di.æk əˈrest/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Figurative] The project suffered a cardiac arrest when funding was cut.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: CARdiac ARREST = the heart (cardio) is 'arrested' or stopped by the police of the body's electrical system.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE HEART IS AN ENGINE/MACHINE (that has seized up or stopped). DEATH/FAILURE IS A STOPPAGE.
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is a key immediate treatment for cardiac arrest?