Heart Attack or Cardiac Arrest?
There is confusion over these heart emergencies — and it’s important to know the difference - Farhan Bhanji MD
image by: Medicine Dost
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Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack: What's the Difference?
People often use the terms heart attack and cardiac arrest interchangeably, but they are very different medical conditions. What’s common between them is that they are both life-threatening events. If someone is suffering from a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest, every minute counts. Fast action can save lives.
Resources
Is a Heart Attack Cardiac Arrest?
Heart attack, cardiac arrest, and heart failure are often used interchangeably, but they’re distinct entities.
A cardiac arrest and a heart attack: what's the difference?
What happened to Fabrice Muamba is very different to what happens to older and unfit people.
Watch: What's the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest?
Our animation explains the difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest and what to do in these emergencies.
Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack: What's the Difference?
However, a heart attack and cardiac arrest are not completely unrelated. A heart attack can create problems and increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. A cardiac arrest can occur soon after a heart attack or during recovery. Most heart attacks do not lead to cardiac arrest. But in people who suffer sudden cardiac arrests, heart attacks are a common cause.
Infographic
People often use these terms interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Heart & Stroke
There is confusion over these heart emergencies — and it’s important to know the difference,
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