Cardiac arrest and heart attack are often mistaken for the same condition, when in fact they are two different health problems. Although both interfere with the heart's performance, they have different causes, symptoms, and require different treatments. So, what causes cardiac arrest and heart attack? Let's get to know the differences in the following article.
Causes to Watch Out For
Considering the cause, cardiac arrest and heart attack have prominent differences. Here is the explanation:
- Cardiac Arrest: This condition occurs when the heart stops beating suddenly and there is a disturbance in the heart's electrical system. This causes the heart to be unable to pump blood throughout the body.
- Heart Attack: This health problem occurs when blood flow to a certain part of the heart muscle stops or is drastically reduced due to a blockage in the coronary artery. This causes damage to the heart muscle due to lack of oxygen.
What are the Signs?
Cardiac arrest and heart attack conditions can be distinguished from the symptoms they cause because they each have their own characteristics.
1. Cardiac Arrest
Because cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical problem in the heart that causes it to suddenly stop beating, the sufferer will experience:
- Sudden loss of consciousness
- Pulse not found
- Over time accompanied by respiratory arrest
2. Heart Attack
During a heart attack, the heart will continue to beat and the sufferer will remain conscious. Here are some common symptoms of a heart attack:
- Chest pain or shortness of breath for more than 15 minutes.
- There is a spread of pain (accompanied by pain in other places such as arms, clothes, neck, back, jaw, solar plexus, etc.)
- Sometimes accompanied by nausea/vomiting or cold sweats or even fainting.
How to Handle It?
Cardiac arrest and heart attack require fast and appropriate treatment to increase the chance of survival. However, there are differences in the treatment of these two conditions:
1. Cardiac Arrest Management
- Call emergency medical services .
- Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quickly and correctly. The method that can be done is to press the center of the chest firmly and quickly with a pressure frequency of about 100-120 times per minute.
- Use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) if available. An AED will deliver an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal heart rhythm. For how to use it, you can follow the instructions written on the device.
- Hospitalization for further action, medication administration, or other treatment procedures.
2. Handling Heart Attacks
- Call emergency medical services if someone shows signs of a heart attack.
- Give Aspirin to the patient if they are not allergic . This is to help thin the blood and reduce the risk of blood clots that worsen the condition.
- Give oxygen if there is a nearby source. Give NITRATE drugs (isosorbide dinitrate or nitroglycerin) Give nitroglycerin if the patient has a prescription from the doctor. They can use it as directed by the doctor to help widen blood vessels and increase blood flow to the heart.
- Further treatment in hospital to avoid bad risks.
In dealing with serious medical conditions such as cardiac arrest and heart attacks, good understanding and treatment are essential to increase the chances of survival and recovery. Therefore, to detect heart health early, it is best to have a check-up by consulting a heart specialist regularly. In addition, you are advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle from an early age (starting now) to maintain your fitness.
Article written by dr. Nurul Rahayu, Sp.JP, FIHA, FESC (Heart and Blood Vessel Specialist, EMC Pekayon Hospital).