Asystole means the heart has stopped. It is represented on an EKG as a flat line. Asystole is one of the measures a physician uses to declare someone legally dead. All living creatures with a beating heart will eventually attain asystole. The patient has no pulse and is not breathing. Asystole is usually caused by electrical problems within the heart, according to MedicalDiseases.info, but asystole can occur in a healthy heart as well. When a patient has a cardiac arrest, his heart stops pumping and his blood stops flowing throughout the body; oxygen doesn't reach the brain and other organs.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease describes a condition in which the heart is healthy, but the arteries leading to the heart are not delivering adequate blood. This lack of blood flow causes damage to the heart muscle and the patient experiences a heart attack. The term "heart attack" describes the damage done to the heart. A heart attack does not always cause the heart to stop beating, although sudden cardiac arrest can occur as a result of the heart attack. Undiagnosed coronary artery disease is the major risk factor for cardiac arrest, according to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute.
Trauma
Trauma may cause a heart to stop beating. Events like drowning, smoke inhalation or suffocation deprive the body and heart of essential oxygen, which is essential to the beating heart. Accidents that cause massive bleeding will decrease blood pressure, eventually leading to asystole because there isn't enough blood for the heart to pump. Accidents involving electricity may cause irregular heart rhythms which might end in asystole.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia, or prolonged exposure to cold, can result in asystole when the patient's core body temperature reaches 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The "Journal of the American Medical Association," or JAMA, states that asystole caused by hypothermia is the result of a carbon dioxide buildup. It can actually be reversed with warming and medical treatment, even if the patient hasn't had a heartbeat in two hours.
Medical Conditions
Medical conditions unrelated to the heart may cause asystole, especially if the diseases are considered terminal. Hyperkalemia is a state whereby there is too much potassium in the blood; potassium is important for regulating the body's electrical activity and an excess of potassium may cause the heart to stop, according to MedlinePlus. Cancer, kidney disease, diabetes and other illnesses may lead to death and, therefore, cause asystole.
Drug Overdose
Drug overdoses can cause asystole. The North Carolina Office of EMS names narcotics and antidepressants as causes of asystole in a healthy heart. Other medications may also cause the heart to stop like illegal drugs, an excessive amount of prescription medication or over-the-counter pills.
