cardiac arrest

American  

noun

Pathology.

• cardiac arrests
  plural

1. abrupt cessation of heartbeat.

---

cardiac arrest British  

noun

1. failure of the pumping action of the heart, resulting in loss of consciousness and absence of pulse and breathing: a medical emergency requiring immediate resuscitative treatment

---

cardiac arrest Cultural  

1. See heart attack.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cardiac arrests
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cardiac arrest

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cardiac arrest

Paramedics and police found Panettiere in cardiac arrest, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Any intervention needs to be quick and effective: A person who is choking can lose consciousness and go into cardiac arrest within three to five minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

A week later, with fluid building up on the brain, he suffered a cardiac arrest.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

The coroner's office in Greenville, South Carolina said crews treated a woman in "cardiac arrest" and her autopsy showed "no signs of trauma".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

"Could you get a nurse? My chest feels very...tight. I think I'm going into cardiac arrest."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda