Heart Attack vs Cardiac Arrest: Key Differences Explained

A heart attack and a cardiac arrest are often mentioned together, but they describe two distinct medical events. In a heart attack, blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery. The heart continues to beat, but the affected tissue begins to die if the blockage is not cleared quickly. Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is an abrupt loss of heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood at all. Electrical problems such as ventricular fibrillation are the most common cause, and the condition can arise from a heart attack or from other cardiac issues. Understanding the difference is critical because the emergency response for each varies greatly.