Our heart is under a lot of pressure, so it’s no wonder that it sometimes has problems. Among the more serious problems, we can cite cardiac arrest, heart attacks or strokes. If people often confuse these problems, they are not the same thing and we will explain the difference to you.
Indeed similar in their literal sense, “heart attack” and “cardiac arrest” can easily be confused by lay people, and many people even think that they are the same thing. But in reality, they describe very different events. Although both are life-threatening heart problems, the causes and treatments are not the same.
What is a heart attack?
Consider first the case of heart attack, also called infarction. This problem occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, usually due to a blood clot or plaque that has built up in the arteries over time. You should know that the heart muscles need oxygen to function properly. However, when the blood flow is blocked, the heart muscle begins to die due to lack of oxygen. Symptoms of a heart attack are usually pain or tightness in the chest, neck, back or arms, fatigue, dizziness, irregular heartbeat and anxiety.
While the symptoms of a heart attack can be very sudden, an individual who has a heart attack can face many warning signs. Similarly, a patient does not necessarily lose consciousness if he has a heart attack. In case of heart attack, the speed of patient care is essential for survival. Indeed, the best way to save the victim is to rush them into surgery so that blood flow can be restored before irreversible damage occurs.
What is cardiac arrest?
Then thecardiac arrest is an electrical malfunction that causes the heart to stop beating. The difference with a heart attack is therefore that it is an electrical problem and not a blood circulation problem. When the heart fails to pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs, a person loses consciousness and can die within minutes without treatment. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the use of a defibrillator or even chest compressions can improve the victim’s chances of survival until help arrives.
As for the symptoms, the patient will usually collapse suddenly, and there will be respiratory arrest, absence of pulse and loss of consciousness. Those who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest often have no signs or symptoms until it happens. As for the causes of cardiac arrests, they are usually triggered by a series of medical problems or traumas that disrupt the normal rhythm of the heart. Note that a heart attack can be the cause of cardiac arrest.