TIM RUSSERT THINGS TO LOWER THE CHANCE OF SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST AND A HEART ATTACK

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True or False? A heart attack and cardiac arrest are the same thing?

I have been reading an article about the sudden cardiac arrest of the much loved Tim Russert. This tragedy has once again raised the public awareness of the danger of heart problems. As the article points out "What is clear is that there are ways to lower one's risk of sudden cardiac death and heart problems: eat healthy, exercise, don't smoke, and take aspirin and or statins. Statins are the medications that lower cholesterol. High cholesterol is positively correlated with coronary artery disease. The trouble, though, is that patients often don't think they're at serious risk until they are actually experiencing an attack".



Cardiac arrest is not synonymous with a heart attack. A heart attack refers to myocardial infarction. The heart muscle (myocardium) pumps oxygenated blood to supply the body's needs. But the heart is a muscle and the heart muscle itself needs oxygenated blood. That oxygenated blood is supplied to the heart by the coronary arteries which envelop the heart. When the blood supply to some part of the heart is cut off completely enough to damage the heart muscle as by a blockage or blockages in the coronary artery, that is a heart attack, a myocardial infarction.



A cardiac arrest refers to a situation where the heart's ability to pump is so compromised that the blood flow to the body is interrupted. This can happen with a severe electrical disturbance in the heart as ventricular fibrillation or severe blood loss or a massive heart attack that damages so much heart muscle that the heart can't pump properly. It is in cases of sudden cardiac arrest where cpr and automatic defibrillators may save a life.

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