What is the difference between heart attacks and heart failure

During a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot or a buildup of plaque in the arteries. Since the heart muscle needs oxygen to survive, when blood flow is blocked, the muscle begins to die.

This is why heart attack sufferers need to be rushed into surgery to resolve the obstruction and restore blood flow. Symptoms may start slowly and persist for hours, days, or weeks before the heart attack. The heart continues to beat, but because of the blockage, it is not receiving all the oxygen-rich blood it requires.

Not everyone has the same symptoms. During a heart attack, you may feel pain in the middle of the chest that can spread to the back, jaw, or arms. Or you may feel pain in these places and not in your chest. Sometimes people feel pain in their stomach and mistake the heart attack for indigestion. Other symptoms include faintness, sudden sweating, nausea, shortness of breath, heavy pounding of the heart, abnormal heart rhythms, loss of consciousness, restlessness, anxiety, and bluish lips, hands, or feet.

If you believe someone is experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack, call immediately. Learn more about the symptoms of heart attack AKA myocardial infarction. While a heart attack is a circulation problem, cardiac arrest is an electrical problem triggered by a disruption of the heart's rhythm. Most heart attacks do not lead to cardiac arrest.

However, when cardiac arrest happens, a heart attack is a common cause. In many cases, cardiac arrest is a temporary condition experienced during a medical emergency. It is not necessarily preceded by heart disease, but many patients experience warning symptoms up to a month before cardiac arrest.

Because cardiac arrest stops the heart from beating, the brain, lungs, and other organs do not get the blood and oxygen they need. Cardiac arrest can lead to death within minutes if not treated. Symptoms of cardiac arrest include dizziness, loss of consciousness, and shortness of breath. Because the heart stops beating during a cardiac arrest, blood and oxygen flow is cut off to the vital organs, including the brain and lungs.

Patients often develop this condition after their heart has been weakened or damaged by another cardiovascular condition, such as a heart attack, congenital heart defects , coronary artery disease, hypertension or cardiomyopathy. While heart failure is often a long-term, chronic condition, for some patients the onset can be quite sudden. Heart failure can also lead to arrhythmias, which can trigger cardiac arrest.

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Heart disease and heart attack both share coronary artery disease as a primary cause. This occurs over time when your arteries narrow and harden due to deposits of plaque from fat and other types of substances found in food.

This is one reason why a healthy diet low in fat and cholesterol is so important. A heart attack can occur when a piece of plaque breaks off and causes the blood surrounding your heart to clot. This makes it impossible for blood to flow in and out of your heart muscles as usual. You could also have a heart attack due to a spasm occurring in your coronary artery.

However, this is not common. When your heart must pump blood through a blocked, narrow space, it will become weaker over time. While this is the most typical cause of heart failure, several others exist as well. Chest pain is the most common symptom, but not everyone experiences this. If you think you are developing heart disease and would like to start treatment, please visit your primary care provider who will refer you to the UPMC Western Maryland Cardiology Department.

However, if you are exhibiting any signs of a heart attack, such as the ones listed below, please visit the Emergency Department immediately:. As mentioned above, a heart attack is a medical emergency requiring prompt treatment. If you recognize any of the symptoms we listed, call without delay.