Blog
Posted by Crystal Zamudio on Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The difference between a stroke, heart attack & cardiac arrest
Reason why I posted this blog was because many people think a heart attack is the same as a stroke which it is clearly not the same.
Stroke: Is a blockage in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. When a clot forms in one of the arteries and stops blood flow, a section of the brain begins to die in other words the brain can not work properly such as having trouble with vision, speaking, balance, etc. Most of the time a stoke affects only one side of the body. Medications for a stroke may be Aspirin, Warfarin, Aggrenox, Plavix, etc.
Heart attack: Coronary arteries sit on top of the heart like a crown, these arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. When one of those arteries gets blocked, it does not get enough blood and oxygen leading to a myocardial infarction, a technical word for heart attack (injury to the heart muscle). Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation. Medications for heart attack may be Aspirin, Plavix, Warfarin, etc.
Cardiac arrest: Is a sudden collapse (loss of heart function) in an individual who is non-responsive, who has abnormal breathing such as gasping, agonal respiration, or not breathing. Cardiac arrest are sometimes caused by bradycardia (a slow heart) or the individual has coronary heart disease. When cardiac arrest leads to death it is because at times the heart begins to have arrhythmia's (irregular heart rhythm) which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. CPR can be performed to an individual who had a cardiac arrest. Medications for cardiac arrest may be Heparin, Warfarin, etc.
Reason why I posted this blog was because many people think a heart attack is the same as a stroke which it is clearly not the same.
Stroke: Is a blockage in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. When a clot forms in one of the arteries and stops blood flow, a section of the brain begins to die in other words the brain can not work properly such as having trouble with vision, speaking, balance, etc. Most of the time a stoke affects only one side of the body. Medications for a stroke may be Aspirin, Warfarin, Aggrenox, Plavix, etc.
Heart attack: Coronary arteries sit on top of the heart like a crown, these arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. When one of those arteries gets blocked, it does not get enough blood and oxygen leading to a myocardial infarction, a technical word for heart attack (injury to the heart muscle). Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation. Medications for heart attack may be Aspirin, Plavix, Warfarin, etc.
Cardiac arrest: Is a sudden collapse (loss of heart function) in an individual who is non-responsive, who has abnormal breathing such as gasping, agonal respiration, or not breathing. Cardiac arrest are sometimes caused by bradycardia (a slow heart) or the individual has coronary heart disease. When cardiac arrest leads to death it is because at times the heart begins to have arrhythmia's (irregular heart rhythm) which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. CPR can be performed to an individual who had a cardiac arrest. Medications for cardiac arrest may be Heparin, Warfarin, etc.
