Heart Attack vs Cardiac Arrest vs Heart Failure: Know The Difference

Heart Attack 

During a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is obstructed, most often by a blood clot or plaque buildup in the arteries. 

Because the heart muscle requires oxygen to survive, when blood flow is interrupted, the muscle starts to die. Therefore, heart attacks are emergency situations and people must be rushed into surgery to remove the obstruction and restore blood flow. 

Symptoms may appear gradually and last for hours, days, or weeks prior to the heart attack. They include: 

• Severe chest pain (usually described as an elephant sitting on the chest) 
• Pain in the left arm and jaw  
• Shortness of breath 
• Significant sweating 
• Indigestion 
• Nausea and dizziness  

While the typical symptoms, like chest pain, affect both men and women, women are much more likely to experience less-common symptoms such as indigestion, shortness of breath, and back pain even when there’s no obvious chest discomfort. The symptoms are unique enough that we dedicated an entire NBC4 Health Matters segment to cardiovascular disease in women. 

 

Cardiac Arrest 

We’ve established that heart attack and cardiac arrest are different. Here’s how: While a heart attack is a problem with circulation, cardiac arrest is an electrical problem caused by a disruption in the heart's rhythm. This disruption causes the heart to stop beating, depriving vital organs of the blood and oxygen they require. Cardiac arrest demands immediate medical attention. If it’s not recognized and treated, it can be fatal within minutes. 

Symptoms of cardiac arrest include loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and dizziness. A person will become unresponsive and have trouble breathing moments after cardiac arrest occurs.  

CPR, combined with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), greatly increases the chances of survival. CPR is designed to pump the heart from the outside so blood can continue circulating to the organs. The AED delivers an electric shock that can restore the heart's normal rhythm. 

 

Heart Failure 

The phrase "heart failure" does not imply that your heart has stopped beating. It’s actually a condition that develops when your heart doesn’t fill up with enough blood or is too weak to pump enough blood for your body’s needs. The heart continues to beat, but it doesn’t satisfy the body's need for blood and oxygen. 

While heart attack and cardiac arrest happen suddenly and are both emergency situations that need immediate care, heart failure happens gradually over time. The most common causes of heart failure in the U.S. are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, alcohol or drug abuse, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol. 

Heart failure may not cause symptoms right away. But eventually, some of the common signs include: 

• Shortness of breath, especially when lying down 
• Fatigue 
• Coughing or wheezing, especially when exercising or lying down 
• Swelling in the feet, ankles, and legs 
• Weight gain from fluid buildup 
• Confusion 
• Dizziness or lightheadedness  

People with heart failure follow a treatment regimen that works to strengthen the heart. In addition to medication and treatment, heart failure patients also need to quit smoking, incorporate regular physical activity into their regime, follow a low-sodium, heart-healthy diet, and watch for any sudden weight gain.  

All heart issues are serious, obviously, but there are clear distinctions among them. Knowing the differences between heart attack, cardiac arrest, and heart failure is the first step in choosing the right response when you see signs or symptoms and, quite possibly, saving someone’s life.  

More information on our cardiology program can be found on this page.