Ivana Trump has sadly passed away after falling down the stairs following a suspected medical episode or cardiac arrest.
Ms Trump, 73, was found unresponsive on Thursday in her New York apartment as she was preparing for a St. Tropez getaway.
The former wife of former US President Donald Trump was found by medics unconscious and unresponsive.
Her cause of death has yet to be officially determined yet, but the Fire Department of New York said paramedics responded to a call for a cardiac arrest.
According to statistics available from the British Heart Foundation and Department of Health, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the United Kingdom, accounting for an estimated 100,000 deaths each year, making it the nation’s biggest killer.
What is a cardiac arrest?
A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. This causes the brain to be starved of oxygen, and it usually happens without warning.
“A common cause of a cardiac arrest is a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF),” says the British Heart Foundation.
The health charity continued: “VF happens when the electrical activity of the heart becomes so chaotic that the heart stops pumping.
“ A heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same.”
However, a heart attack can sometimes trigger an electrical disturbance that leads to sudden cardiac arrest.
Causes of cardiac arrest
The main causes of a cardiac arrest include:
- A heart attack (caused by coronary heart disease)
- Cardiomyopathy and some inherited heart conditions
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart valve disease
- Acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
News of Ivana's death was first shared by her ex-husband, Donald Trump, via a post on his Truth Social account on Thursday afternoon.
“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” he wrote.
Trump shared three children with his ex-wife, whom he married in 1977 and divorced in 1992, and went on to pay tribute to Ivana, describing her as a “beautiful, amazing” woman, while honouring her close bond with their children together: Donald Jr, Eric, and Ivanka.
Symptoms of a cardiac arrest
- Chest discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained wheezing
- Weakness
- Fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart (palpitations)
- Fainting.
Cardiac arrest doesn’t only happen to old people.
“Every week in the UK, 12 seemingly fit and healthy young people, aged 35 years and under, die from Young, Sudden Cardiac Death,” said First Aid for Life.
The health site continued: “Sudden cardiac death describes unexpected and immediate fatality from a heart problem within 12 hours of apparently normal health.
“In fact, some young cardiac deaths are so unexpected and without warning they are mistakenly attributed to drowning or road accidents.”
