BOISE, Idaho — Wellness Wednesday explores the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack. A heart attack comes on slowly over time, while cardiac arrest is electrical and happens quickly.
- Heart attack can be treated.
- Cardiac arrest can be treated, too, but has a high mortality rate outside of a hospital setting.
- Cardiac arrest happens when the heart's rhythm is off and can be treated with pacemakers.
(Verbatim of story the aired is below.)
Which is worse: a cardiac arrest or a heart attack? They’re not the same.
I’m senior reporter Roland Beres and it’s Wellness Wednesday where we’re healthier together, and either way you cut it, both are a variation of trouble.
When it comes to heart problems, it’s good to know what ails you.
“One is a plumbing problem and one is a sort of an electrical problem,” said Dr. Daniel Meltzer.
A heart attack is the plumbing problem: a long-term medical issue that causes symptoms over time until they become severe.
Cardiac arrest is a sudden electrical problem: it often drops you in your tracks.
“If you have a cardiac arrest outside the hospital, the likelihood of dying is 90 percent,” said Meltzer.
That’s why it’s so important for people to know CPR, or chest compressions, to keep cardiac patients alive until help can arrive.
And automatic defibrillators are also vital and easy to use — they’re so smart they won’t discharge unless the patient really needs it.
Dr. Meltzer says cardiac problems can be managed with a pacemaker.
And he says heart attacks can be managed with lifestyle changes, like reducing weight and cholesterol and getting more exercise.
