Manoj Bharatiraja died of cardiac arrest just a few days after he underwent a bypass surgery. The 48-year-old actor and director returned home last week from the hospital, according to news reports.

Bharatiraja, who was last seen in Prime Video's Snakes and Ladders, made his debut in 1999 with Taj Mahal.

According to experts, a cardiac arrest happens when your heart stops beating or beats so fast that it stops pumping blood. During cardiac arrest, you may suddenly collapse and become unresponsive. Doctors say the symptoms start without warning, and that is why it is known as sudden cardiac arrest.

This life-threatening condition can become fatal if you are not given immediate treatment.

During cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest, your heart stops pumping blood, and within minutes your organs and whole body get a big risk of death because they must constantly receive oxygen. Your blood delivers that oxygen. Emergency treatment includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and defibrillation, which can help keep enough oxygen in your lungs and get it to your brain until an electric shock restores a normal heart rhythm. CPR and defibrillators may save your life.

Doctors say cardiac arrest can happen within days of coronary artery bypass surgery, even though it is uncommon, with an incidence of around 0.7–2.9 per cent. And so, it is important to make a prompt diagnosis and treatment, which are crucial for improving survival rates.

Cardiac arrest after the surgery can be attributed to many complications:

• Heart attack
• Bleeding
• Graft failure
• Acute graft occlusion
• Cardiac tamponade
• Severe left ventricular dysfunction
• Arrhythmias
• Aortic dissection
• Acute valvular dysfunction

According to Healthline, a few other reasons include:

Doctors say the wounds in your chest and arm or leg can become infected after a coronary artery bypass graft. It can also cause infection in your lungs or the inside of the chest after having a coronary artery bypass graft.

Most infections that develop after the procedure can usually be treated successfully with antibiotic tablets or injections.

Many people who have a coronary artery bypass graft develop atrial fibrillation—a condition that can cause an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. However, doctors believe it is not as serious and can be treated easily if diagnosed well in time.

Many people who recently underwent bypass surgery also experience memory issues, finding it difficult to concentrate on things like reading books or a newspaper. It usually improves in the months following the surgery but can sometimes be permanent.

There's also a risk of serious problems affecting the brain during or after a coronary artery bypass graft, such as a stroke.

Following a coronary artery bypass graft, there are several factors that increase your risk of developing complications.

Your risk of developing complications after surgery increases as you get older, as there are many other serious long-term health conditions that spike the possibility.

Women develop coronary artery disease later than men, and so, it may lead to a higher risk of having complications.

An emergency surgery is always riskier because doctors do not get much time to plan the surgery, and the heart can be seriously damaged from a heart attack.

According to experts, the more complex the operation, the greater the chance of having complications.

If you are obese or overweight, the surgeon will have to make a deeper cut to gain access to your heart, which has a higher risk of becoming infected.

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