How are overdoses and cardiac arrest related? Questions emerge after Presley Gerber’s death

As more details are revealed about Presley Gerber's death, questions are emerging about the connection between overdoses and cardiac arrest.

While Gerber's death is being investigated as a suspected overdose, according to the Santa Monica Police Department, new reports suggest the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford may have gone into cardiac arrest before he died on Sept. 20 at age 27.

Law enforcement officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Berkeley Street at 9:35 a.m. on Sept. 20 for a cardiac arrest, according to recordings obtained by People and Page Six. A separate dispatch indicated first responders were responding to an overdose at the address.

Cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood to the body in a person who may or may not have heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Most people who suffer cardiac arrest do not survive, according to the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, but those who live are at risk of neurological consequences and changes to physical and psychological wellness.

More than 350,000 out of hospital cardiac arrest deaths occur each year in the United States, the heart association adds.

While irregular heart rhythms cause most sudden cardiac…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/life/