Lindsey Graham’s Sudden Death Sparks Questions About Cardiac Arrest

Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, died suddenly yesterday at the age of 71. His office has not publicly disclosed the medical cause, just saying it occurred after a “brief and sudden illness.” Nevertheless, multiple major media outlets have reported that emergency medical responders were dispatched to the senator’s Washington D.C. home because a person was in apparent cardiac arrest. It’s probable that the person in question was Lindsey Graham. Notably, Graham’s father died from a heart attack at 69.

Graham’s office and staffers have stated that there were no known concerns over his health and no indications that he was feeling unwell before the sudden medical emergency on Saturday.

The senator’s death sparks questions about cardiac arrest, which is caused by an electrical malfunction in the heart that disrupts its pumping action. The heart then suddenly stops beating. While it can happen to seemingly healthy people, possible causal factors in individuals with health conditions include a prior heart attack, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy and congenital heart defects, among others. Long-haul travel can be a trigger. During long flights, prolonged immobility can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms which in turn can strain the heart and lead to arrest. It’s worth mentioning that Graham had been on several long-haul flights in recent days, though it’s unknown if these contributed in any way to his condition.

The American Heart Association states that cardiac arrest and heart attack are two entirely different events. As a circulation problem, heart attacks happen when blood flow to the heart is blocked. A heart attack doesn’t necessarily lead to an immediate loss of consciousness. On the other hand, cardiac arrest is due to an electrical malfunction, leading to a loss of consciousness and pulse. Survival rates from heart attacks and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are vastly different, at roughly 90% and 10%, respectively.

Both heart attacks and cardiac arrests are medical emergencies that prompt different kinds of responses. In the case of a myocardial infarction or heart attack first responders may have the patient to chew aspirin to thin the blood, or nitroglycerin may be given sublingually to widen blood vessels and improve blood flow. Subsequent treatment may involve reopening a blocked artery to restore blood flow before the muscle dies. By contrast, cardiac arrest requires immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and sometimes defibrillation.

Arthur Kellerman — physician, founder of Emory University’s Department of Emergency Medicine and senior contributor for Forbes — wrote about the fact that Damar Hamlin, the NFL player who collapsed in cardiac arrest during a nationally televised game, is alive today thanks to the prompt care he received on the field. But many of the more than 350,000 Americans who suffer from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually aren’t so lucky. Without prompt treatment it’s often fatal.