What is the difference between CARDIAC ARREST and HEART ATTACK?
By-Dr.Arif Maghribi Khan, Kashmir.
Yes, there is a difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack, and everyone should know it.
I know medical students will laugh on my post, but posting it for others so here we go.
In cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping blood. BP is not recordable and pulses are absent. Urgent CPR is needed. If the heart does not pump blood to brain, brain can get damaged due to ischemia (loss of blood supply). The person becomes unconscious.
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In heart attack, the arteries that supply blood to heart muscles get blocked. Common symptoms are chest pain, breathing difficulty and palpitations. Affected person is conscious. It needs emergency medical treatment and angioplasty. If heart attack is not treated, it may result in cardiac arrest.
So, heart attack is one of the many causes of cardiac arrest.
Regards
