Linking cardiac arrest and COVID-19 vaccine is ‘wildly and irresponsibly speculative,’ says expert
Soon after the news broke, a 54-year-old singer was discovered. Lisa Marie Presley People were once more blaming the COVID-19 vaccination for cardiac arrest in people who had recently died from cardiac arrest. After 24-years of safety by the Buffalo Bills, speculation resurfaced about a possible link between cardiac arrest (and COVID-19 vaccination). Damar Hamlin After suffering cardiac arrest, she was rushed off to the sidelines during a Monday Night Football contest. Experts maintain that there is no connection between the two.
“The [suggested] Link between the COVID-19 vaccination [and cardiac arrest] is wildly and irresponsibly speculative from a very vocal minority,” Dr. Michael Emery, cardiologist and co-director of the sports cardiology center at Cleveland ClinicPrevious stories Fortune.
Lisa Marie Presley: What happened?
Presley was taken to the hospital by paramedics on Thursday after she received a call reporting that a woman had suffered a complete cardiac arrest. She received CPR and paramedics “determined the patient had signs of life,” as reported in the Associated Press. She died hours later.
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest occurs when the “heart’s electrical system malfunctions,” according to the American Heart Association.
“It’s when the electricity becomes disorganized and chaotic, often from ventricular fibrillation [a type of irregular heartbeat],” explained Emery. “And when the heart is disorganized and chaotic, it can’t adequately pump blood to the rest of the body, hence the arrest part.”
Is cardiac arrest the exact same thing as a heart attack or is it different?
Although a heart attack may cause cardiac arrest, they are not the same thing.
“A heart attack is more of a circulation problem in one of the arteries in the heart,” said Emery. “When one of those arteries gets acutely blocked from a heart attack, then there’s a sudden lack of blood flow to part of the muscle of the heart.”
Can COVID-19 cause a cardiac arrest?
Myocarditis can occur from any vaccine or virus, not only those that are related to COVID-19. However, these cases are very rare. Myocarditis can make a person very sick and need hospitalization. It can also lead a person to experience cardiac arrest.
“We’ve always known that viruses can cause heart problems and COVID is no different than other viruses that cause heart problems,” said Emery. “The problem is, so many people got COVID all at once that it looks like there’s a huge rash of [heart problems].”
A study The American Heart Association journal published a study that found myocarditis risk following COVID-19 vaccination boosters is very low.
“You’re more likely to develop a serious illness from the COVID virus itself than you are a COVID vaccine,” Emery continued, as people who’ve contracted the virus can sometimes develop lingering effects, such as long COVIDCOVID-19-related complications may lead to death or hospitalization. “This is a case where correlation does not equal causation.”
This story originally appeared on Fortune.com
Fortune has more:
Air India slammed for ‘systemic failure’ after unruly male passenger flying business class urinated on a woman traveling from New York
Meghan Markle’s real sin that the British public can’t forgive–and Americans can’t understand
‘It just doesn’t work.’ The world’s best restaurant is shutting down as its owner calls the modern fine dining model ‘unsustainable’
Bob Iger just put his foot down and told Disney employees to come back into the office