What Does Cardiac Mean?

The term 'cardiac' comes from the Greek word 'kardia' which means heart. It is a condition in which the heart stops beating. It refers to the upper part of the stomach, where it is connected to the esophagus.
Cardiac arrest is characterized by sudden severe chest pain often radiating to the shoulder, arm, or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, loss of consciousness, and sometimes resulting in death. Cessation of the heartbeat results in the loss of effective circulation of the blood.

The term 'cardiac' means pertaining to the heart of an organism. When one has a cardiac disorder it means that one is suffering from a disease of the heart. A cardiac arrest refers to the sudden stoppage of normal blood circulation as the heart has been unable to contract efficiently.

The lack of blood due to this cessation leads to the termination of cells because of no oxygen. Shortage of oxygen supply to the brain can cause unconsciousness and the inability to breathe. This may cause the stoppage of the heart.

Death due to such an event is called SCD (Sudden Cardiac Death). The basic fist aid procedure to treat an arrest is CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

Cardiac is also the name of a character in popular fiction. The unconventional hero Cardiac, real name being Elias Wirtham, can be found in Marvel comic books. This character was given birth by David Micheline and Erik Larsen, and made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man.