What is Cardiac Arrest?
Quick Facts
- Cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping.
- A heart attack is different from cardiac arrest, but a heart attack can sometimes lead to cardiac arrest.
- Calling 911 right away, starting CPR and using an AED can help save a person’s life.
Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. It can come on suddenly or with other symptoms. Cardiac arrest is often fatal if proper steps aren’t taken right away.
More than 417,000 cardiac arrest deaths occur each year in the U.S.
Is a heart attack the same as cardiac arrest?
No. The term heart attack is often mistakenly used to describe cardiac arrest. While a heart attack may lead to a cardiac arrest, they aren't the same.
Heart attacks are caused by a blockage that stops blood flow to the heart. A heart attack refers to death of heart muscle tissue due to the loss of blood supply. It's a circulation problem. A heart attack is serious and sometimes fatal.
By contrast, cardiac arrest is caused when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions. The heart stops beating properly. The heart’s pumping function is arrested, or stopped.
In cardiac arrest, death can result quickly if proper steps aren’t taken right away. Cardiac arrest may be treated if CPR is performed and a defibrillator shocks the heart and restores a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes.
Cardiac arrest may be caused by irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. A common arrhythmia associated with cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. In ventricular fibrillation, the heart’s lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don’t pump blood.
Learn more about the differences between cardiac arrest and heart attack.
