The heart is one of the most important muscles in the body since it is responsible for sending blood throughout every other area and keeping you alive. Heart problems are the leading cause of death in both men and women, so it is important to take care of your heart health and react quickly if there is ever a problem.

When it comes to heart issues, most people know about heart attacks and cardiac arrest, but they mistakenly assume that they are the same thing. In reality, they are two very different issues, both of which can be life-threatening.

Cardiac Arrest

If someone goes into cardiac arrest, it is because the heart has stopped pumping blood. This can have many different causes, but in most cases it comes down to something being wrong with the electrical signals that trigger the heart muscle to pump.

Sometimes the electrical signals can have issues that cause the heart to beat abnormally, which is known as an arrhythmia. If that continues for too long, it can end up causing the heart to stop pumping entirely.

There are many underlying causes of cardiac arrest, but when it occurs, the bottom line is that emergency action must be taken to get the heart pumping again. This will typically start with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, which will help to manually squeeze the heart so that blood can start circulating again. CPR is essential not just for getting the heart to beat, but also to move blood around the body so that other organs or tissues don’t get damaged.

The next step will typically be to shock the heart to try to ‘restart’ the electrical systems. This can be done by an automated external defibrillator (AED) if there is one around, or by doctors at a hospital using a variety of instruments.

Once the heart is pumping again after a cardiac arrest, it is critical that doctors look into what caused the event so that action can be taken to prevent it from happening again.

Heart Attack

A heart attack is a medical emergency where the heart is not getting enough blood or oxygen to the muscle. This is often caused by a blood clot or clogged arteries.

It is also possible that a heart attack can be caused by the rapid drop in oxygen levels in the body, which is called hypoxia. This can be triggered by illicit substances.

Heart attacks can result in the muscle tissue in the heart dying, which will prevent the heart from functioning properly, even after full blood flow is restored. This is why it is so important to act quickly and get medical care if a heart attack has occurred. Fast treatment can help produce improved long-term results.

Serious Heart Issues

The bottom line is that both cardiac arrest and heart attacks are serious medical emergencies that need to be treated right away. If ignored, they can quickly result in death. Understanding what these issues are will allow you to get the medical attention needed right away.

In addition, if you or a loved one experiences a heart attack or cardiac arrest, knowing the difference will help you to understand what the doctors are telling you so that you can hopefully recover properly.

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