Cardiac arrest is best described as which of the following?

• A. Ventricular fibrillation ongoing
• B. Heart has ceased generating electrical impulses; equals asystole/standstill
• C. Irreversible heart failure with preserved rhythm
• D. Pulmonary embolism

Answer: (B)

Cardiac arrest means the heart stops functioning effectively, so there’s no usable circulation. The description that the heart has ceased generating electrical impulses, resulting in a standstill (asystole), matches this abrupt loss of electrical activity and mechanical pumping. When there’s no electrical activity, the heart cannot contract to push blood, so there’s no pulse or blood flow.

Ventricular fibrillation describes a highly irregular, ineffective rhythm that can lead to arrest, but it’s not the definitive description of arrest itself. A pulmonary embolism is a possible cause of collapse, not the state of the heart. Irreversible heart failure with preserved rhythm doesn’t convey an abrupt stop in electrical activity or pumping.