What’s Going Around | Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — October is Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating for various reasons.

According to the American Red Cross each year 350,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States and about 90% of them died.

SCAs are deadly because blood immediately stops flowing to the organs and the brain.  If not treated within minutes, a SCA causes death.

There is a difference, though, between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack.

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating. A heart attack is when there’s blockage of blood flow through the coronary blood vessels. Those are the arteries that give blood directly to the heart muscle.

“When there’s a blockage, [the] tissue dies and then we end up having what’s called a heart attack where the muscle just starts to die. The heart can’t function. That can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. But having a heart attack isn’t a requirement for sudden cardiac arrest.  Sudden cardiac arrest is simply an abnormal electrical impulse in the heart that affects the heart’s ability to beat,” said Dr. Yolandra Hancock, a pediatrician at Generational Health Center in Prince George’s County.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death among young athletes, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. But it also affects young people not involved in sports or who don’t exercise.

Kids can be stricken during exercise at rest, or even during sleep. Dr. Hancock said there are warning signs to look for, especially in younger athletes.

“The first is looking at personal history, right? Does the student-athlete have a history of significant exertion when they exercise outside of their norm? Have they ever felt lightheaded or passed out on the field? Have they ever felt like their heart was beating abnormally fast or with an abnormal rhythm? All of those are important. The second is family history. Knowing whether or not there’s a family member who died suddenly and no one knew the reason why, or if a family member had heart disease at an early age, earlier than the age of 55. And, if it’s known to have a family history of an abnormal heart rhythm, all of those are critically important. And then the third component is coming in to see your health care provider and undergoing that cardiac evaluation,” said Dr. Hancock.

Dr. Hancock said there is an increase in sudden cardiac arrest that appears [to] be tied to COVID-19.

“The link between COVID-19 and sudden cardiac arrest is real. We know that COVID-19 inflames the heart muscle leading to things like myocarditis. When you have inflammation of the heart muscle, which is what myocarditis means, that can impact the electrical impulse that’s sent through the heart muscle to keep it beating strong and keeping ourselves healthy. We do know, based on evidence from the American Heart Association, from cardiology organizations, that there is a direct link between COVID-19 and increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. We have not yet been able to quantify the percentages or the link in terms of risk, but we do know that there is an elevated risk simply because of the impact that COVID-19 has on the heart,” she said.

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