Cardiac Arrest vs Heart Attack vs Heart Failure

Cardiac Arrest vs Heart Attack vs Heart Failure

1. Cardiac Arrest

• Definition: Sudden stop of effective pumping of the heart.

• Main Causes:

  • Asystole → ventricles stop completely.

  • Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib): ventricles quiver (no blood pumped).

  • Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach): ventricles beat too fast → may progress to V-fib.

• Effect: No blood circulation → death within minutes if untreated.

• Treatment: CPR + defibrillation (if shockable rhythm).

2. Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, MI)

• Definition: Blockage of blood supply to heart muscle.

• Cause:

  • Atherosclerosis → cholesterol plaque buildup in coronary arteries.

  • Plaque rupture → fibrous cap breaks → cholesterol leaks out → blood clot forms → artery blocked.

• Effect:

  • Heart muscle downstream loses oxygen → tissue death.

  • Can weaken heart’s pumping ability.

• Treatment:

  • Restore blood flow quickly (angioplasty, stent, thrombolytics).

  • Reduce clot formation (aspirin, anticoagulants).

3. Heart Failure

• Definition: Inability of heart to pump effectively (chronic condition).

• Types:

  • Left-sided HF:

    • Blood backs up into lungs → pulmonary congestion, shortness of breath.

    • ↓ oxygen delivery to body → fatigue.

    • ↓ kidney perfusion → ↓ urine output → fluid retention → edema.

  • Right-sided HF:

    • Blood backs up in systemic veins → swelling in legs, feet, abdomen.

• Complications:

  • Fluid buildup (edema, pulmonary congestion).

  • Blood clots → risk of stroke or pulmonary embolism.

  • Dangerous arrhythmias → sudden death.

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  • Table

Condition	Primary Problem	Cause	Effect	Emergency Treatment
Cardiac Arrest	Pump stops suddenly	Asystole, V-fib, V-tach	No circulation → death in minutes	CPR, defibrillation
Heart Attack (MI)	Blocked blood flow	Plaque rupture + clot	Muscle death, ↓ pump function	Restore blood flow (stent, clot busters)
Heart Failure	Weak/ineffective pumping	Chronic damage (MI, HTN, valvular disease)	Fluid overload, edema, clots, arrhythmias	Medications (diuretics, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers), lifestyle changes

Key Distinction:

• Cardiac Arrest = electrical problem (sudden stop).

• Heart Attack = circulation problem (blocked artery).

• Heart Failure = pumping problem (chronic weakness).