How Cardiac Arrest Looks Different Than a Heart Attack

Cardiac arrest and heart attack happen due to different problems with the heart. When these medical emergencies occur, it’s difficult to mistake one for the other because their symptoms are distinct. Still, the two are connected: If you have a heart attack, it’s a call to action to reduce your risk for cardiac arrest.

Cardiac Arrest: The Basics

Your heart runs on electrical signals that start in the right atrium, one of the organ’s two upper chambers, and travel throughout the muscle, prompting it to pump blood. If this electrical system malfunctions, cardiac arrest — also known as sudden cardiac arrest — can occur. When this happens, the heart abruptly stops beating, and sudden cardiac death can occur within minutes.

Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) called ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia are the most common causes of cardiac arrest. Both affect the heart’s ventricles, or lower chambers. Other forms of heart disease, including coronary artery disease — blockages in the heart arteries that often develop due to unhealthy cholesterol levels — congenital heart defects, and heart failure, also increase the risk of cardiac arrest. Men are more likely to experience this cardiac emergency than women.

Cardiac Connection

A heart attack occurs not because of a problem with the heart’s electrical system but because of a blockage in an artery that stops oxygen-rich blood from flowing freely. Deprived of oxygen, the affected area of heart tissue may die without swift treatment to restore blood flow.

For some people, a heart attack is a precursor to cardiac arrest. You’re more likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest if you’ve had a heart attack, and there may be little delay. In some cases, sudden cardiac arrest takes place after a heart attack or recovery from one, according to the American Heart Association. As a result, it’s important to treat the warning signs of a heart attack as an alert that cardiac arrest is also possible.

Comparing Symptoms

A heart attack may cause different symptoms in women compared with those in men. In general, however, heart attack symptoms may include:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Cold sweat
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Pain in the jaw, neck, back, arms, or stomach
• Shortness of breath

Cardiac arrest often happens out of the blue, but that doesn’t always mean it occurs without warning. In fact, most people who experienced cardiac arrest had at least one warning sign, such as a heart attack-like symptom, in the hour leading up to it, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The suddenness and severity of its symptoms differentiate cardiac arrest from a heart attack. If you see someone suddenly pass out and collapse, and they don’t react if you tap them on the shoulder or shake them, there’s a good chance they’re experiencing cardiac arrest. Additional clues include the absence of breathing or a pulse.

How You Can Help During a Cardiac Arrest

Both a heart attack and cardiac arrest call for one thing: quick action. Start by calling 911 immediately. If all signs point to a person experiencing an episode of cardiac arrest, you can start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, while speaking with the 911 dispatcher.

To perform hands-only CPR:

1. Position the person flat on their back.
2. Kneel next to them with your knees shoulder-width apart.
3. Place the base of one hand in the center of the person’s chest and place the other hand on top, with both sets of fingers interlaced.
4. Push down rapidly and firmly with your elbows straight and shoulders over your hands. Time your compressions to the beat of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, or Rolling in the Deep by Adele to maintain an effective rhythm.

If an automated external defibrillator (AED) — a machine that can shock the heart back into functioning — is nearby, ask a bystander to fetch it. Use the machine as soon as it’s available. If you don’t have access to an AED, keep performing CPR until emergency medical personnel arrive.

Treatment for Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest

Regardless of your emergency heart problem, swift treatment can be lifesaving.

For a heart attack, once you arrive at the hospital, you’ll likely have an angioplasty. During this procedure, an interventional cardiologist will use a catheter to send a balloon to the blocked artery. Once inflated, the balloon will push plaque aside, reopening the artery. The interventional cardiologist may then place a mesh tube called a stent so the artery will stay open.

For a cardiac arrest, if CPR and the use of an AED are successful, the hospital medical team will stabilize you and seek to understand why your heart stopped. If you have a blockage in a heart artery, you may have an angioplasty and stent placement.

To prevent another cardiac arrest, the medical team may place an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in your chest or stomach. Connected to your heart by wires, the ICD can help your heart maintain or recover a normal rhythm if an arrhythmia occurs. If necessary, the device will deliver an electric shock to the heart to help it beat correctly again.

Want to reduce your risk for heart attack and cardiac arrest? Find a primary care provider to help you modify risk factors and stay on top of your heart health.