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Cardiac paralysis
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 12.07.2025
The peculiarity of the cardiac muscles is their non-stop rhythmic contractions, which are the life-sustaining function of the heart. Cardiac paralysis is a life-threatening (terminal) condition in which voluntary contractions of the myocardium suddenly stop, as a result of which the cardiac muscles lose the ability to pump blood and maintain normal blood flow in the body.
[ Causes cardiac paralysis
In cardiology, the causes of heart paralysis are associated with:
- with blockage of coronary circulation due to thrombosis, air embolism of the pulmonary circulation or arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries of the heart;
- with dysfunction of the cardiac conduction system (CCS), which ensures the rhythmic functioning of the heart (atrial fibrillation in acute myocardial infarction, etc.);
- with cardiomyopathies (diffuse degenerative changes in the myocardium, acute stenosis of the heart valves, etc.);
- with cardiogenic shock in case of acute myocardial infarction;
- with cardiogenic pulmonary edema in acute left ventricular failure;
- with hypovolemic shock (which occurs with severe bleeding);
- with anaphylactic or septic shock;
- with severe forms of degenerative-inflammatory myocardial disorders associated with transmural myocardial infarction and some infectious diseases;
- with hyperkalemia and the resulting sinus bradycardia and pacemaker block.
Paralysis of the heart muscles is possible due to a disruption of their innervation due to complete bilateral damage to the cervical (or thoracic) part of the vagus nerve or its parasympathetic nuclei. In addition, neurotoxic lesions of the body (after bites of poisonous snakes, with botulism or tetanus) can lead to paralysis and cardiac arrest.
Thus, the pathogenesis of cardiac paralysis in most cases is only the extreme point of development of those pathologies that lead to its occurrence, and is caused by hypoxia of myocardial tissue, replacement of myocardial muscle fibers with fibrous tissue (during infarction) or total damage to the muscle cells of the heart (cardiomyocytes).
Symptoms cardiac paralysis
The main symptoms of cardiac paralysis are loss of consciousness, absence of reflexes and complete immobility, rapid transition from shallow intermittent breathing to complete cessation of respiratory movements (apnea), absence of heart contractions, cyanosis of the mucous membranes and skin.
In case of cardiac paralysis as a result of acute myocardial infarction, the first signs are piercing sharp pain behind the breastbone and a feeling of lack of air (dyspnea), which quickly transform into a state of collapse.
In other cases, the first symptoms may be paroxysmal changes in heart rhythm, severe asphyxia, and convulsions.
Complications of cardiac paralysis include the cessation of oxygen supply to the body's tissues and a decrease in the rate or complete cessation of metabolism. As a result, multiple organ ischemia develops, which primarily affects the brain. The consequences are asystole and cardiac arrest, followed by clinical death. For more details, see the publication Signs of Clinical Death
Diagnostics cardiac paralysis
The key sign by which doctors diagnose heart paralysis is cardiac arrest, determined by palpating the pulse on the carotid artery on the lateral surface of the neck (below the jaw). There is simply no time for other diagnostic methods, because urgent resuscitation is required. For more details, see - Sudden cardiac death
What do need to examine?
How to examine?
Who to contact?
Treatment cardiac paralysis
This is not a treatment for heart failure, but an emergency medical treatment for a critical situation that often ends in death.
According to the rules adopted in cardiac resuscitation, the patency of the airways is restored, the heart is started using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (indirect cardiac massage and artificial respiration mouth to mouth), electric discharge (defibrillation), forced (hardware) ventilation of the lungs. Also, appropriate drugs that stimulate myocardial contraction are used.
Read about how medical care is provided if heart paralysis occurs in the article – Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.