An Overview of Cardiac Arrest Vs Heart Attack

Chest pain has become one of the common symptoms nowadays among many people. The symptom reflects several health conditions. Some of these conditions can be serious – heart attack and cardiac arrest are one of those. While most people think cardiac arrest and heart attack are the same, there are many differences between them. It is the reason they need different treatment approaches.

When it comes to cardiac arrest, it occurs when a heart stops beating which causes an individual to collapse. They can also lose consciousness. It comes as a life-threatening condition that needs quick intervention in the form of defibrillation and CRT. If we talk about a heart attack, it takes place when blood flow to the heart attack gets blocked. It causes shortness of breath, chest pain, and other related symptoms.

Heart attacks can be serious and need complete medical attention. Though it’s not generally life-threatening in the same way as cardiac arrest, it indeed leads to an emergency condition. Since the symptoms of heart attack and cardiac arrest are almost similar, it’s not easy to differentiate between these two. But, it is necessary to know the differences between these two conditions of chest pain.

We will discuss cardiac arrest vs heart attack. Before discussing differences, we will discuss heart attack and cardiac arrest in depth.

Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart beating stops suddenly due to excessive loss of blood flow to many crucial organs and brains. It occurs due to various factors, including electrolyte imbalances, heart disease, drug overdose, trauma, etc. The cardiac arrest takes place suddenly and unexpectedly. If patients don’t get medical attention quickly, it can become fatal.

In case of cardiac arrest, the electrical system of the heart malfunctions and causes an abnormal heartbeat, it is also famous as arrhythmia. Ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia are the two most common types of arrhythmia.

If we talk about ventricular fibrillation, the heart’s electrical signal becomes fully chaotic and causes the heart muscle to quiver rather than pumping and contracting blood. When ventricular tachycardia takes place the heartbeat becomes quick and thus becomes out of rhythm, and also causes the heart to stop pumping blood.

Symptoms of Cardiac Arrest

As far as symptoms of cardiac arrest are concerned, these include loss of consciousness, sudden collapse, no breathing, pulse, blue or pale skin tone, etc.

Patients suffering from cardiac arrest need to go for defibrillation and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Defibrillation is the process of giving electrical shock to the heart. Those who face a situation like cardiac arrest need early intervention, which increases their chance of survival.

Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries that supply blood become narrowed or blocked. It leads to a lack of nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle. It causes damage or even death of heart muscle as well. The blockage causes the build-up of plaque in the arteries, which can be triggered by several factors, including high cholesterol level, blood pressure, family history, or smoking.

Symptoms of Heart Attack

As far as heart attack symptoms are concerned, these tend to vary. Meanwhile, some common symptoms include vomiting, discomfort, pain, discomfort in the arms, lightheadedness, etc. The pain or discomfort tends to be persistent and may last for a couple of minutes.

Those who are suffering from heart attacks need quick media attention. It’s necessary for the prevention of heart muscle and can also increase the chance of patients for survival. Patients can opt for various treatment options such as medication, including blood thinner medicines, bypass surgery, angioplasty, and more.

Differences Between Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack

Let’s delve into a detailed discussion of cardiac arrest versus heart attack.

Chest Pain

As mentioned, chest pain is a common symptom of cardiac arrest and heart attack. But, the duration and severity of pain for both can be different. Those suffering from a heart attack may experience a squeezing sensation that may radiate to the jaw, arms, stomach, neck, etc. Patients may face pain for several minutes or longer than this.

Meanwhile, patients with cardiac arrest may experience intense or sudden pain, which is like tightness or feeling of pressure. The pain will not radiate to other parts of the human body and also can be accompanied by several other symptoms like nausea, shortness of breath, etc.

Loss of Consciousness

It’s a common symptom for patients with cardiac arrest not for those patients suffering from a heart attack. When the heart suddenly stops beating, it causes an interruption of blood flow to the brain that causes an individual to lose consciousness. On the other hand, when an individual experiences a heart attack, they may experience light-headedness or dizziness. But, they don’t lose consciousness unless the condition becomes severe.

Breathing Problems

Another major difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest is breathing problems. Patients facing problems like a heart attack may experience chest pain or discomfort. They will also experience problems like breathing difficulties and shortness of breath. But, it’s not severe.

When we talk about cardiac arrest, patients often experience problems like breathing difficulties or shortness of breath with severity. The main reason for it is cardiac arrest causes complete cessation of heart function which leads to a lack of oxygen in the human body.

Treatment

Whether you are suffering from cardiac arrest or a heart attack, you need to go for immediate treatment. Meanwhile, treatment can be different based on the underlying cause. When you face a problem like cardiac arrest, you need quick CPR and defibrillation to improve the blood flow and thus restart the function of the heart.

If the main cause of cardiac arrest is heart disease, patients can find additional treatment to address the root causes. In a heart attack, patients can opt for treatment options such as surgery, medications, etc.

Conclusion

So, above is the difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest. Chest pain is an indication of a cardiac arrest or heart attack. Whether you are suffering from cardiac arrest or a heart attack, you need to quickly approach a medical expert for treatment to save your life. RMA MyClinq specializes in heart attack and cardiac arrest. You can consult them to get quality treatment.