Heart attack, some information for citizens: what is the difference with cardiac arrest?

By Cristiano Antonino On Dec 30, 2022

With the term heart attack, we indicate death or necrosis of a tissue or organ, due to a deficit in blood flow and lack of oxygen for a certain period of time

Symptoms differ depending on the organ affected; we could say that the main symptom is a sudden sharp pain, but clinically speaking the infarct may be asymptomatic, especially if it is very small.

A heart attack occurs when there is an obstruction in the coronary arteries that does not allow the blood to flow as it should. The heart does not stop beating.

It can occur suddenly or can last for weeks.

Common symptoms include pain and discomfort in the chest, arms, back, causing fatigue, cold sweats, nausea, vomiting.

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The time in which action is taken is extremely important; it is necessary to alert the emergency services as soon as possible

Subsequently, if the victim loses consciousness, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) must be performed by pressing quickly and vehemently on the chest to encourage blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.

Insufficient blood supply to any organ or part of an organ, as a result of sudden obstruction or narrowing of the arteries that allow blood to flow to it, causes acute syndrome.

Most often, the cause is attributable to atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerotic plaques that ulcerate stimulate acute arterial occlusion, through emboli arising and thrombosis superimposed on ulceration.

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Myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, which respectively affect the heart and cause stroke, are among the leading causes of death in Western countries

Heart and brain, are the two most sensitive organs as they have terminal circulations that in the event of obstruction of the afferent vessel cannot cope with the lack of blood through the other blood vessels that communicate with them.

Other types of infarction are rarer, however, as other parts of the body have a larger presence of arteries that can more easily cope with the lack of blood in the vessels that serve as a connection between several arteries.

The most frequent cause of heart and brain infarctions is atherosclerotic disease of the arteries that carry blood to the heart and brain.

Most affected by atherosclerosis are the innermost parts of the vascular walls, which see the formation of tears or accumulation of plaques rich in fat, i.e. cholesterol, and inflammatory cells.

The degeneration of the arterial walls, due to the deposition of plaques formed by fat and scar tissue, causes the blood vessels to become constricted, which can lead to vessel occlusion and subsequent prolonged ischaemia and tissue infarction.

It is clear that the risk of heart attack increases with increasing age

Heart attack, and atherosclerosis, affect men more than women until adulthood. As women go through the menopause, the risk equals that of men.

Those who are genetically predisposed to cardiovascular disease have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack, especially if the cardiovascular disease affected their family member in their youth.

The onset of a heart attack can be prevented by having a correct and healthy lifestyle. Tobacco smoking and excessive sedentariness are among the major causes of cardiovascular risk, which can be reduced by quitting smoking and doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily.

Nutrition also plays an important role.

A diet high in fat and calories leads to increased levels of cholesterol in the blood, dramatically increasing the risk of heart attack.

Following a more balanced diet prevents the risk of cardiovascular disease.

High blood pressure, hypertension, from which a large number of the population over the age of 50 suffer, can be associated with the onset of atherosclerosis and related complications, such as heart attack and cerebral infarction.

It leads to fatigue of the heart due to the increased work it is supposed to do, with the resulting manifestations of cardiovascular imbalance.

Diabetes with excessive blood glucose deteriorates the arteries, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, cardiac and cerebral infarction, cardiovascular and renal failure.

Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, occurs when, as a result of an electrical dysfunction of the heart, there is a sudden stop of the heartbeat

This leads to fibrillation of the heart and unconsciousness of the victim who struggles to breathe or does not breathe at all.

The only way to save the victim is to receive immediate cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or to be rescued using a defibrillator.

In the event of cardiac arrest, it is absolutely necessary to intervene promptly because the chances of survival are reduced by 10% with every passing minute.

Help must be summoned and CPR performed by performing strong, repeated chest compressions to help blood flow to the rest of the body.

If necessary, the defibrillator must be used.

The defibrillator, by analysing the rhythm of a person’s heart, is able to determine whether defibrillation is necessary; it is possible that in some cases the rhythms do not allow defibrillation but cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) must necessarily be performed.

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