Distinction Between Cardiac Arrest and Cardiac Attack

The news of the famous Bollywood actress Sri Devi came as a shock for the whole nation. Her sudden death left all the people in utter tremor and trauma. We all have seen the news channels, newspapers and the various social media handles flooding with the report of her death. Do you know how did she die? Most of you would say by a heart attack or by drowning in the bathtub. However, both of them are the incorrect reasons. The legendary actress actually died of the Cardiac arrest and not cardiac attack. Yes, there is a significant difference between the two. Very often the terms cardiac attack and the cardiac arrest are used interchangeably. There is a big misconception among people that they both are the one and same thing. If you will go on searching for the actual medical terminologies you will find that both of these terms are largely different from each other. With this article, we will discuss the basic difference between the cardiac arrest and the cardiac attack.

What is a cardiac attack?

To simply state we can say that a heart attack occurs when there is a blockage in the in the coronary arteries. The human heart is muscle thus just like every other muscle it also requires the oxygen-rich blood supply to stay healthy. The blood is supplied to the liver by the coronary arteries. When blockage in this artery is developed as a result it is not able to provide the sufficient blood amount to the heart the heart attack may occur. This blockage may occur with age as when we grow up the fat material called plaque buildup in the inner walls of the arteries that supply the blood to the heart due to which they become damaged and narrow. When the flow of blood is completely stopped due to the complete blockage in artery a heart attack occurs.

It is important to address the blockage within due time as if the blockage is left untreated the heart muscle will become more damaged and can even result in the death of the patient.

What is the cardiac arrest?

On the contrary, to the heart attack, the cardiac arrest is the condition wherein the electrical system of the heart is malfunctioned as a result heart stops working. When there is a problem with the pumping procedure by heart body the sudden cardiac arrest occurs. If the heart stops to pump blood the brain of the person starves for oxygen due to which the person falls unconscious and stop breathing.

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Along with the basic difference between the two, there exist several other distinctions between the two on the basis of symptoms also. Let us understand further take a look at the point of distinction between the two.

Symptoms

The various symptoms of the heart attack include the following -

• Chest pain 
• The chest pain further spreading to different areas like arms, jaw, neck, back, and abdomen.
• The feeling of Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Feeling or being sick
• Anxiety
• Light-headedness or dizziness
• Sweating
• Weakness
• Palpitations

The various Symptoms of a cardiac arrest may include:

• Sudden loss of consciousness/responsiveness
• No breathing
• No pulse 
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Palpitations
• Nausea

Conclusion

To sum up we can say that there is a crucial difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest. The cardiac attack occurs when the when the blood supply to part of the heart stops whereas a cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating as a whole.