Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack: Know the Difference

If one’s mind is burdened, no human being can carry out normal transportation. This proverb shows the importance of the functioning of the heart in the human body. Medical science organizations from various countries have reported that the Russian Federation, the European Union and Indonesia have the highest cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates. At the same time, Japan, France and Korea have the lowest death rates due to CVD.

According to a recent study, heart disease has been reported in more than 7% of men. At the same time, more than 4.2% of women have been diagnosed with this disease. Every year, approximately 6 million people are affected by serious cardiac arrest conditions such as ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Only less than 1% of people worldwide survive sudden cardiac arrest.

When it comes to heart attacks it is common that it mostly affects both men and women. Women are also more likely to suffer a heart attack than men. In some cases, heart disease causes heart attack symptoms.

Poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle habits and chronic stress fuel this trend. Eating a heart-healthy diet, along with positive lifestyle changes, can help us protect children’s cardiovascular health.

More than 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home. Only 40% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital get the fastest help they need before a professional arrives.

How do the symptoms of cardiac arrest differ from those of a heart attack?

Many people misunderstand that cardiac arrest and heart attack are the same thing. But it should be remembered that these two are completely different. A heart attack is related to “circulatory” issues, while cardiac arrest is an “electrical” issue. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart completely stops or stops. Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly when the heart stops working and beating.

What is a heart attack?

Heart attack is a causal disease in which there is obstruction or restriction in blood flow to the heart, due to which the heart does not get the required blood flow. This disease can be caused by many factors; physical lifestyle, food habits (sour food, oily food, consumption of hot substances), anxiety, negative qualities, display of mental and physical dysfunctional levels determine the nature of the disease and a shorter life span. The attack centres on the heart cell.

The symptoms of a heart attack will come on suddenly or begin gradually with very mild symptoms. Keep in mind that it’s possible to have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all and still have a heart attack. Unlike sudden cardiac arrest, the heart does not stop beating during a heart attack. Symptoms of heart attack in women may be different from those of men.

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and often without any warning. Therefore, when the heartbeat becomes irregular due to an electrical fault in the heart, it is unable to pump blood and deliver blood to other parts of the body. As a result, there is a risk of torture, suffering or death. Therefore, without immediate treatment, it can become life-threatening within minutes.

Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack or in some cases. Here, the risk of cardiac arrest resulting from a heart attack increases. Many heart attacks do not result in sudden cardiac arrest, but it is a common cause.

Symptoms of heart attack

Some heart attacks may come suddenly. Some common symptoms of a heart attack are:

• Chest pain causes stiffness, contraction or pain.
• The pain is not felt around the arm, back, shoulder, neck, jaw or sometimes the upper abdomen.
• Cold sweat
• Heartburn or indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Sudden dizziness
• Nausea

Women may feel symptoms like severe pain in the arm, neck or back. In some cases, the first sign of a heart attack is sudden cardiac arrest.

Symptoms of cardiac arrest

Many people with cardiac arrest have one or more symptoms an hour before it occurs. Some people may experience symptoms weeks before a cardiac arrest occurs. However, some people do not see any previous symptoms before cardiac arrest.

Some basic symptoms of heart attack, which can be a major cause of cardiac arrest, are given below:

• Chest pain, mainly angina (mostly in men)
• Shortness of breath (mostly in women)
• Back pain
• Extreme fatigue (abnormal fatigue)
• Flu-like symptoms
• Nausea
• Stomach pain and vomiting
• Frequent fainting, especially when doing strenuous exercise or while lying on the back.
• Feeling as if your heart is skipping a beat or racing.

How to Prevent Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest?

Both heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest are related to your heart. If you protect your heart, you can reduce your chances of heart attack and cardiac arrest. Here are some tips to prevent heart attacks and cardiac arrest.

1) Eat healthy food

Here is a list of foods you must eat and foods you must avoid:

What to do?

• You can eat rice, whole grain bread, pasta, fruits, vegetables and fish.
• Reduce meat consumption.
• Second, to prevent heart attacks, eat only less oily fish, such as sardines, herring and salmon, or avoid them altogether.
• Replace cheese and butter with vegetable and vegetable oils such as olive oil.

What not to do?

• After the first visit, do not take food supplements without consulting your doctor.
• Don’t eat an unhealthy diet high in fat, as this can lead to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of heart attack.
• Continuously eating high-fat foods will cause fatty plaque to build up in your arteries. Because fatty foods will contain unhealthy cholesterol.
• Avoid eating foods with high levels of saturated fat, such as fatty cuts of meat, fried foods, cakes, cheese, cream, butter, butter biscuits and foods containing coconut oil. Because this can increase the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood. Saturated fat and unsaturated fat are two types of fat.

2) Control your high blood pressure

High blood pressure, which can affect your arteries and heart, increases your risk of heart attack. You can reduce High blood pressure by eating a healthy diet, controlling your body weight, and reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption. And it is important to do regular (limited) exercise.

3) Do not smoke

Quit smoking, as this habit causes atherosclerosis and increases blood pressure. This poses the main risk of heart attack.

4) Limit or quit drinking alcohol

Moderate your alcohol intake or quit. When you drink more than your recommended alcohol limit, your blood pressure and cholesterol levels increase. Therefore, your chances of heart attack increase.

Avoid drinking excessive alcohol, as it can cause your blood pressure to suddenly increase, which is harmful. Learn ways to reduce your drinking.

If you take proper counselling and medication, it can help you reduce the amount of alcohol you drink.

5) Exercise according to your strength

Simple activities like walking, cycling and swimming will be helpful in reducing heart attack symptoms. Strenuous activities like playing basketball, football and squash will not help you. Consult your doctor, who knows your health report.

6) Control your body weight

Being overweight can be harmful to your body. This can increase your blood pressure and affect your health. Therefore, take special care of healthy eating and regular exercise to keep your weight under control.

7) Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is extremely important at any age. Getting good sleep benefits your physical and mental health. Getting the right amount of sleep can impact your eating habits, your mood and memory. Every adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily. To improve sleep quality, promote physical activity in your daily routine and reduce the use of electronic devices before sleeping.

Is there any first aid for heart attack?

Quick help and action can save lives. If anticoagulant and artery-opening drugs are provided soon after symptoms appear, they can prevent a heart attack. Catheterization by inserting a stent can open the closed blood vessel. Therefore, take immediate action without any hesitation.

You need to be given special treatment immediately to save your heart muscles. If a heart attack occurs, stop whatever you are doing and, go to a safe resting place and call for medical help immediately.

If you notice the victim is not breathing or has a pulse, begin CPR to maintain blood flow after you call for emergency medical help. Push quickly and forcefully into the centre of the person’s chest at a steady rhythm (about 100 to 120 pressures per minute).

Is there any first aid for sudden cardiac arrest?

First aid is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), during which another person applies chest compression to increase blood flow to the organs. CPR can temporarily treat cardiac arrest until emergency treatment can be provided to the person experiencing cardiac arrest.

Blowing into the victim’s mouth may help, in some cases, to provide relief to their chest. They should do chest compression 30 times at a rate of 100–120 pressure for two breaths every minute. If they cannot follow the breathing rules, they simply perform chest compression regularly.

If a person is unconscious, has no pulse and is having trouble breathing, call the local emergency number and start CPR immediately. If an infant or child seems unresponsive, has no pulse, and is not breathing, give CPR for 1 minute and then call the local emergency number.

Conclusion

Do not assume that cardiac arrest and heart attack are the same. Despite both cardiac arrest and heart attack being unpredictable conditions, you can analyze the symptoms of cardiac arrest and heart attack beforehand. Therefore, you can protect yourself from such situations by following the tips mentioned above.

The two main types of cholesterol, namely are LDL and HDL. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), called “bad cholesterol,” can block arteries. Meanwhile, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as “good cholesterol,” can reduce blockage in the arteries. If you are already affected by heart disease, you can consume foods containing good cholesterol.

If a sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack occurs, it is the responsibility of your social friends and people around you to take immediate action to save a person’s life.

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