Lindsey Graham’s sudden death raises questions about cardiac arrest

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, died suddenly yesterday at the age of 71. His office has not publicly disclosed the medical cause, just saying it happened after a “short and sudden illness.” However, several major media outlets reported that emergency medics were dispatched to the senator’s home in Washington because a person was in apparent cardiac arrest. It is possible that the person in question was Lindsey Graham. In particular, Graham’s father died of a heart attack at the age of 69.

Graham’s office and staff said there were there are no known health concerns and there is no indication that he was feeling unwell before the sudden medical emergency on Saturday.

The senator’s death raises questions about the cardiac arrest, which is caused by an electrical malfunction in the heart that disrupts its pumping. The heart then suddenly stops beating. While it can occur in apparently healthy people, potential causative factors in people with underlying health conditions include a previous heart attack, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart defects, among others. Long distance travel can be a trigger. During long flights, prolonged immobility can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, which in turn can strain the heart and lead to cardiac arrest. It’s worth mentioning that Graham had taken several long-haul flights in recent days, although it’s unknown if these contributed in any way to his condition.

The American Heart Association reports that cardiac arrest and heart attack are two completely different events. As a circulatory problem, heart attacks occur when blood flow to the heart is blocked. A heart attack does not necessarily lead to an immediate loss of consciousness. On the other hand, cardiac arrest is due to electrical malfunction, leading to loss of consciousness and pulse. Survival rates from heart attacks and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are very different, at about 90% and 10%, respectively.

Both heart attacks and cardiac arrests are medical emergencies that elicit different kinds of responses. In the event of a myocardial infarction or heart attack, first responders may have the patient chew aspirin to thin the blood, or sublingual nitroglycerin may be given to dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. Subsequent treatment may involve opening a blocked artery to restore blood flow before the muscle dies. In contrast, cardiac arrest requires immediate CPR and sometimes defibrillation.

Arthur Kellerman — MD, founder of Emory University’s Department of Emergency Medicine and senior fellow for Forbes – wrote about the fact that Damar Hamlin, the NFL player who collapsed into cardiac arrest during a nationally televised game, is alive today thanks to the immediate care he received on the field. But many of the most of 350,000 Americans who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year are not so lucky. Without timely treatment it is often fatal.