What is a Cardiac Arrest?
A cardiac arrest is more dangerous than a heart attack as in this case the heartbeat immediately comes to zero, thus leading to sudden death. In order better understand cardiac arrest, let us consider a heart is connected to an electrical system that controls the rhythm and frequency of a heartbeat. So, when this electrical signal immediately collapses the rhythm of heartbeats suddenly stops leading to cardiac arrest.
Causes:
- Over-enlargement of the heart or electrical impulse problems.
- Irregularity in the shape of heart valves or underlying heart diseases.
- Unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, or history of a heart attack in the family.
Symptoms:
- A sudden collapse in heartbeat, and no pulse.
- Difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, and unconsciousness.
- Chest pain and difficulty breathing are some of the symptoms that occur prior to sudden cardiac arrest.
Treatment:
- In most cases, cardiac arrest leads to sudden death, but the best emergency treatment can be CPR.
- In case a person survives a cardiac arrest, then medications can be used to prevent any other cardiac arrest in the future.
Differences Between Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest
Heart attack and cardiac arrest are some of the most dangerous medical emergencies a person can go through. The consequences of both a heart attack and cardiac arrest can be severe and in some cases even leads to death. Thus it’s important to understand what’s actually the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack. Medical definitions can be confusing but if you know the symptoms, precautions, and some emergency actions that you can take in case of any of these two, then you can surely save the life of your loved one.