Cardiac arrest and heart attack explained as serious conditions aren't the same
dailyrecord.co.ukHealth experts want people to know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest - as three in 10 adults think the conditions are the same.The concerning finding comes from a survey of 2,000 adults by Resuscitation Council UK.
While both medical emergencies impact the heart, their causes, symptoms, and treatments differ.The study also found that many wrongly believe there is a 50/50 chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, but nine in 10 of cases that occur outside hospitals result in death - as it's the more serious of the two.
Over three quarters of those surveyed don't realise that it's more urgent than a heart attack.While a heart attack occurs when blood flow to the organ's muscles is blocked, cardiac arrest is when a person's heart stops pumping blood around the body, which stops the breathing.
When the latter happens, the sufferer is clinically dead, but both require prompt medical intervention.While a heart attack can sometimes lead to cardiac arrest, the two conditions are not synonymous.
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