What Is the Difference Between a Heart Attack and Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
After a person completes corporate onsite CPR training, they’ll be prepared to respond in a number of different emergency situations. If someone collapses, they will be able to apply their training and respond appropriately. They’ll even be trained to use the AED, the automated external defibrillator, to provide electrical stimulation to the heart and help the heartbeat at a normal rhythm. Some of the reasons why someone may need CPR include choking, suffocating, electric shock, severe allergic reaction, and drowning.
Though there are a variety of reasons why a person may require CPR, two of the most common reasons are heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest. These two conditions are related, but they are not the same. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a medical background, it is likely that you don’t know the difference between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.
Understanding the difference is important because it can help you respond more effectively during an emergency. It can also help you communicate more accurately over the phone and with medical professionals who arrive on the scene, and this can save precious seconds when they work to revive the victim. Corporate onsite CPR training can be a great way to teach coworkers more about heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrest and give them the tools to respond correctly in these life-or-death situations.
What Is a Heart Attack?
There is a lot of confusion among the general population about what is and isn’t a heart attack. A heart attack is caused when the blood flowing to a section of the heart is reduced or stopped completely due to blockage in an artery. Though heart attacks can be acute and happen suddenly, they are often more gradual. The artery becomes significantly clogged, and the reduced blood flow causes a part of the heart to get weaker and weaker until the symptoms become very severe.
During many heart attacks, the heart continues to beat, but not enough blood is reaching the heart. However, sometimes the person goes into sudden cardiac arrest. Individuals with corporate onsite CPR training may be able to provide CPR and use an AED to help the heart start beating normally.
What Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
Sudden cardiac arrest is when a person’s heart suddenly stops beating. There are many different reasons for sudden cardiac arrest, but it typically is related to the electrical signals that control the rhythm of the heart. If a person’s heart begins to beat too quickly, too slowly, or at an irregular rhythm, this can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Corporate onsite CPR training can help teach employees how to check for a person’s heartbeat and identify if sudden cardiac arrest has occurred.
Though heart attacks and decreased blood flow can affect the ability of the heart to beat at a healthy rhythm, these two conditions are not always related. Sometimes a heart attack is not followed by sudden cardiac arrest, and sometimes sudden cardiac arrest occurs even though the person never had a heart attack.
Whether it’s a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest, it’s important that the person get medical attention immediately. Coworkers should call 911 as soon as possible. If the person stops breathing or if their heart stops beating, it is very important that someone begins CPR and finds a nearby AED. Corporate onsite CPR training can be crucial in these situations. AEDs are especially important during sudden cardiac arrest, as they can restart the heart and prevent further damage or death. If you’d like to learn more about how we can provide corporate onsite CPR training to your company, contact us today.
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