RIPSridevi: Difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack and ways you can prevent it

Everyone is in a shock after the news of superstar Sridevi. Veteran actor and India’s female superstar passed away in Dubai on Saturday after a cardiac arrest. She was 54 and was reportedly with husband Boney Kapoor in her hotel in the UAE. Sridevi had a fainting spell in her bathroom post which she was rushed to Rashid Hospital, where she was declared dead.

The actress never had any previous major sickness and thus this came as quite a sudden shock. A source close to her family revealed to an online website, “Sridevi was not ailing of any major sickness which is why this news is so shocking. She has been fit and hale and hearty for a long time. She suffered a massive cardiac arrest in Dubai where she was on a short break and passed away after doctors could not bring her back. This was something that no one expected.” A lot has been said about the cause of her death which was due to a cardiac arrest, however, many are confusing it for a heart attack and the two are extremely different from one another.

Listed below is the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack and ways how you can prevent them both.

Cardiac arrest is sudden and extremely unexpected. It is occured when the heart stops pumping blood to the body and stops beating without any signs of warning. The cardiac arrest needs to be treated immediately with an electrical shock to the heart or else the patient dies within minutes.

A heart attack on the other hand is when blood clots blocks the blood flow to the heart which causes blockage to the artery. The tissues in our body loses oxygen which leads to death. However, a heart attack can easily be spotted as compared to a cardiac arrest. The patient shows symptoms such as chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, fatigue and extreme ache in the left arm.

Some of the major risk factors which increase the possibility of a cardiac arrest and heart attack are:

Consumption of too much of alcohol, smoking, unhealthy lifestyle, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity or genetic coronary artery disease. Both the diseases are equally dangerous, however, the chances of survival in a heart attack is more as it shows pre-symptoms.

These are easy ways how you can easily prevent a cardiac arrest and heart attack:

Twice a year screening of any heart diseases, especially if you have a genetic or family history.

Leading a healthy life by having a balanced diet, being physically active and taking care of our health.

Maintaining your body weight.

Avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking.

If you witness someone getting a heart attack or cardiac arrest, here’s what you can do to save their lives. Firstly, there is absolutely no time to waste, so immediately ring up the ambulance. Perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) even if you are not trained. The procedure involves giving chest compression, which involves pumping the heart by external cardiac massage. Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest - 2 times a second. You can also give a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to help the flow of circulation. Keep doing this till the ambulance arrives.

While life truly is unpredictable, we can however take measures to avoid such unfortunate incidents. Live healthy! Live happy!