How are Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack Different?

Nobody is safe from the onset of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). SCA is responsible for approximately 360,000 deaths per year and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 23,000 of those affected by SCA each year are young people under age 18. Survival rates outside the hospital for SCA are very low – below 10 percent. However, with immediate CPR and use of an AED defibrillator, 50 percent of victims could survive.

If you suspect someone is suffering from SCA, remember, Call, Push and Shock to Save a Life:

• Call 911 for emergency assistance
• Push as hard and fast as you can on the victim’s chest until someone comes to help.
• Shock – send someone to find an AED (automated external defibrillator), turn it on and follow either the voice prompts or instructions on the device.

Always wait with someone who may be experiencing SCA in the case that you could be
of additional assistance.

SCA and heart attack are very different. SCA occurs in the electrical pathways of the heart when a malfunction causes the heart to stop beating unexpectedly. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to the heart is blocked. Since the two conditions are often confused, but different, it’s important to know the correct way to appropriately help someone with SCA vs. heart attack.

If you suspect someone is suffering from a heart attack, remember, Dial, Don’t Drive.

The most important thing you can do if suspect someone is having a heart attack is call 911. DO NOT try to drive to the hospital. Also:

• Call 911. Help the person sit down and rest in a comfortable position.
• Loosen tight clothing.
• Check to see if they have any chest pain medicine on them, such as nitroglycerin and help them take it if possible.
• Give them aspirin. If they are awake, can functionally swallow and aren’t prohibited from taking aspirin, give them two to four low-dose aspirin tablets or one regular-strength aspirin.
• Perform CPR if the person becomes unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing or has no pulse. If you are trained in CPR, provide 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths. If you aren’t trained in CPR, perform hands-only CPR by pushing hard and fast on the person’s chest at a rate of about 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
• Use an AED Defibrillator. If available, follow instructions on the device or its voice prompts. Most public places will have an AED onsite.
• Don’t leave! Stay with the person affected until help from 911 arrives.

About the Mississippi Healthcare Alliance

Our mission is to help hospitals, EMS agencies and communities. We have helped them by creating the STEMI System of Care (SOC), Stroke SOC, Cardiac Arrest Collaborative, and most recently, the Sepsis Collaborative, to provide standard care guidelines to reduce mortality, morbidity, and financial strains.

MHCA provides funding for numerous activities to reduce mortality, morbidity, and the financial burden in the State of Mississippi due to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and sepsis.