cardiac arrest

American  

noun

Pathology.

• cardiac arrests
  plural

1. abrupt cessation of heartbeat.

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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

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cardiac arrest Cultural  

1. See heart attack.

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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

A driving instructor died of a cardiac arrest after his wife had to take him to hospital in rush hour traffic because no ambulances were available.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The inquest heard David suffered a cardiac arrest when they arrived at hospital.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

When emergency responders in Greenville, S.C., found Panettiere in an apartment on Sunday, she was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Paramedics responded to a 911 call regarding a reported cardiac arrest at an apartment complex, Judson Mill Lofts west of downtown Greenville, at approximately 1:51 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Chance of cardiac arrest; be better, he reflected, if I lived in town where those buildings have a doctor standing by with those electro-spark machines.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick