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.
What is a cardiac arrest?
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.
How are overdoses and cardiac arrests connected?
While irregular heart rhythms cause most sudden cardiac arrests, recreational drug use can cause cardiac arrest in otherwise healthy people.
Opioids, for example, diminish respiratory drive and can cause hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and cardiac arrest, research shows. Opioid use in the U.S. is a "significant cause of cardiac arrest and death among adults ages 25 to 64," the American Heart Association noted in a 2021 scientific statement.
In the same statement, the organization highlighted how cardiac arrest from opioid overdose has unique features that affect its prevention and treatment.
"Opioids include prescription medications, as well as nonmedical and synthetic opioids restricted to hospitals such as heroin and fentanyl, respectively," the organization noted. "In the case of opioid use disorder, they are frequently mixed with alcohol or other toxic substances, which increases the risk of overdose."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental and/or substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's free and confidential treatment referral and information service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It's available 24/7 in English and Spanish (TTY: 1-800-487-4889).
Contributing: Liza Esquibias, Sameen Chaudhry, Natalie Neysa Alund and Emily Vetter
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How are overdoses and cardiac arrest related? Questions emerge after Presley Gerber's death
