Heart Attack vs. Cardiac Arrest: Understanding the Differences

It’s easy to get confused between heart attack and cardiac arrest, particularly in high-pressure emergencies but it is important to know the difference. While both are life threatening heart ailments, they are different when it comes to cause, symptoms, and response needed.

A heart attack is usually due to an obstruction of blood flow, whereas cardiac arrest is due to a sudden electrical malfunction that halts the heart. Knowing these differences not only aids in prompt medical treatment but also can enhance survival rates.

In this article, we discuss the most important differences, warning signs and risk factors to make you better prepared and aware.

What Is a Heart Attack?

Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, occurs when blood can’t flow to part of the heart muscle. This is most often because one of the blood vessels that supply the heart clogs up with fats, cholesterol, and other substances that accumulate and become hardened layers.

Sometimes one of these plaques breaks. When that happens, there is a clot that develops around it, and if the clot is big enough, it will block all the blood circulation. Without oxygen, the segment of the heart is damaged, and unless the artery is opened soon enough, this section of heart muscle is lost. The longer it is not treated, the worse it becomes.

Premonitory signals of heart attacks vary in each case. In some people, it could arrive in the form of a sudden chest constriction. In others, it appears gradually along with a faint feeling of distress, fatigue, or queasiness. In a few instances, in females in particular, symptoms could be extremely unexpected or even in a practically invisible form. It is also possible to experience a heart attack with no detectable symptoms.

What is a Cardiac Arrest?

As opposed to a heart attack, cardiac arrest occurs due to a malfunction in the heart’s electrical activity. It hits suddenly, without warning. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the electrical system of the heart goes into a state where the heart stops functioning, beats repeatedly, or stops beating. When it occurs, the supply of blood to essential organs, including the brain, is severed in a matter of seconds. The person having cardiac arrest will abruptly collapse,  become unconscious or stop breathing. Death occurs in a matter of minutes if not treated right away with CPR and defibrillation. In fact, a very severe heart attack at some time results in cardiac arrest, especially if the heart muscle is badly damaged or it is already malfunctioning.

Know the Warning Signs for Both

A heart attack typically shows warning signs, sometimes hours, days, or weeks in advance. They are minor or severe and occasionally seem to be of non-cardiac origin. Cardiac arrest comes without warning. It is sudden, abrupt, and always fatal. The signs and symptoms of a heart attack and cardiac arrest are as follows:

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

A heart attack is when one or more arteries that help to supply the heart muscle with blood are blocked. The clogging of the blood supply damages the heart tissue. Most of the common symptoms people go through prior to or while having a heart attack include:

• Chest discomfort or pain: Typically a tightness, squeezing, fullness, pressure, or an ache in the chest. It will be recurring or constant for a few minutes.

• Radiation of pain to neighboring regions: Pain radiates to the shoulders, arms (the left arm especially), back, neck, jaw, or even teeth. Some people feel pain in the upper abdomen.

• Cold sweat: Resting hyperhidrosis is an alarming sign, especially if accompanied by chest pain.

• Shortness of breath: This can either precede or accompany chest pain. It may even occur at rest or mild exertion.

• Nausea or vomiting: A common complaint in women, which can be due to food poisoning or influenza.

• Fatigue: Effort-induced or unpredictable fatigue must not be ignored.

• Indigestion or heartburn: Some people confuse the symptoms of a heart attack with indigestion, which will result in delayed rescue of lives.

• Dizziness or lightheadedness: Dizziness, weakness, or instability can be signs of reduced blood supply to the brain as a result of a heart issue.

Symptoms of a Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest has more dramatic symptoms and it is considerably more unexpected.It is caused by failure of the heart’s electrical system, leading to a dangerously fast or irregular heartbeat. It may be life-threatening or lead to failure of the heart to beat at all.

Unlike a heart attack, cardiac arrest leads to the person collapsing immediately and becoming unconscious instantly.

The following are signs of a cardiac arrest:

• Sudden collapse: Sudden collapse and lack of response to shouting or physical stimulation.

• No pulse: The Heart has collapsed or is working inefficiently.

• No breathing or gasping: Will either not breathe at all, or gasp a few breaths and then nothing.

• Unresponsiveness: No movement, no speech, and lack of response to calling out to or touching.
  
  

Minutes count during a cardiac arrest. CPR and application of an automated external defibrillator (AED) within the initial several minutes can be life and death.

Conclusion

Knowing the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack is not just a medical fact, it’s something that could someday save someone’s life, perhaps even your own. The warnings aren’t always clear. Sometimes it’s a stab of pain. Other times, only a little shortness of breath or tiredness that’s not normal. Being aware of what those signs may be can make all the difference.

Be it an early recognition of the symptoms or an accurate diagnosis, it is the early medical care that makes the difference.

Paras Health has pioneered heart care, with cutting-edge cardiac units, emergency services, and many of the country’s best-known names in cardiology. If you or a loved one needs assistance, you can get a consultation with an expert cardiologist in Gurgaon. At Paras Health, experience is combined with compassion and every second counts.

Take charge of your heart health by scheduling a consultation with Paras Health today!

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