September is National Heart Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to find out the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest – it could save a life!
A heart attack and cardiac arrest are both medical emergencies that demand quick – but different – action. Knowing the warning signs of each and what to do could help you prevent one of the nearly 82 000 deaths which the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa (HSFSA) reports are caused here each year by heart disease and stroke – one in five of all deaths.
What they are
A heart attack is a circulatory problem: a blocked artery stops oxygen-rich blood reaching part of the heart, so the tissue there starts to die. It usually causes tightness in the chest and pain, which spreads to the neck, arm or jaw. There is often associated shortness of breath, cold sweats, a feeling of indigestion, nausea or vomiting and dizziness. Symptoms can be subtle in women, who tend to complain of gas-like pain, dizziness, weakness, chest pain and a sense of anxiety, says Prof Richard Nethononda, a cardiologist and member of the HSFSA board. The symptoms can build slowly over hours or even weeks, fading and returning. The heart keeps beating, but if the artery is not reopened, the part of the heart starved of oxygen dies – and the person can go into cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem: the heart suddenly stops beating. This is often as the result of a heart attack, but can also be as a result of things like arrhythmia, electrocution, choking, drowning, hypothermia, drug abuse or drinking too much alcohol. Without its pumping action, the heart can’t send blood to the brain, lungs and other organs, so the person collapses and loses consciousness. They stop breathing and have no pulse. Unless the heart is restarted, they can die in minutes.
What should you do?
In both cases, immediately call for help. The nationwide emergency number for the ambulance service is 10177 (you don’t need an area code). Netcare911 will respond to an emergency whether or not you are a member: 082 911. Each mobile phone company has its own emergency number which you can dial even if you have no airtime or data or the phone is locked: Cell C 084 140; Vocacom 082 147; MTN 083 112.
For a heart attack
- Try to keep the person calm and get them to sit or lie down.
- Give them an aspirin to chew – blockages in arteries are usually caused by the narrowing of the artery through plaque build-up on the walls, so clots form. An aspirin can help reduce the clots.
- If they go into cardiac arrest (they stop breathing and lose consciousness), start CPR. Keep going until professional help arrives, working in teams if need be. Cup one hand over the other and push down hard and fast in the middle of the chest to the rhythm of the old Bee Gees disco hit, Stayin’ Alive.
For cardiac arrest
- If they are unconscious, immediately begin CPR.
- If you have access to a defibrillator, use that first. Again, keep going until help arrives.
Also read: Read your pulse - it may save your life
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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images
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