Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack Most sudden cardiac arrests are due to abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. The most common arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation (VF), in which the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic and ineffective. Blood flow to the brain abruptly stops; the victim then collapses and quickly loses consciousness. Death usually follows unless a normal heart rhythm is restored within minutes. A heart attack is different from sudden cardiac arrest although sometimes a heart attack can trigger SCA. A heart attack occurs when one of the heart’s major blood vessels becomes blocked, shutting off blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle. Without oxygen the heart muscle starts to die, producing pain and other symptoms. A heart attack may lead to a cardiac arrest.
In simple terms, a heart attack is a “plumbing” problem
caused when a vessel becomes clogged. Sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. Unlike a
sudden cardiac arrest victim, a heart attack victim is often
awake and can talk despite having chest pain or pressure. The most common symptom of a heart attack is severe
pain or pressure in the center of the chest. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes people of all ages and fitness levels, usually without warning. Many of these lives could be saved if:
Chain of Survival More people survive sudden cardiac arrest when a certain sequence of events happens as quickly as possible. This series of steps is called the Chain of Survival.
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