The heart is a muscular organ whose movement pumps blood throughout the body to carry nutrients and oxygen and remove metabolic waste and carbon dioxide. If this organ fails, the consequences can be very serious, even death, which is why it requires urgent medical attention.
The heart attack and the heart attack are two pathologies that cause heart failure, but its etiology is very different. In a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is blocked. In cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating because of failure to sinoatrial node and stops blood flow throughout the body.
Myocardial infarction
The term infarction refers generally to the necrosis of a fabric by blood flow obstructionwhich is more accurately called ischemic necrosis.
The most common reasons for blood obstruction are the presence of elements inside the arteriessuch as atherosclerotic plaques, aneurysms and thrombi, or by pressure on the vessels by external elements, for example tumor growths.
In the case of acute myocardial infarctionobstruct the coronary arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle. The lack of oxygen causes the myocardial cells to die, causing the necrosis that characterizes the infarction.
The heart continues to beat while the necrosis worsens until it becomes fatal and produces death from heart failure.
The most common symptoms are chest pain radiating to the left arm, neck, and back, cold sweat and shortness of breath. It is a vital emergency and medical attention should be sought immediately.
Myocardial infarction is leading cause of death worldwide, both men and women, and are usually due to underlying diseases of the coronary arteries. In the most serious cases of acute infarction, sudden cardiac death can occur, with a picture similar to that of cardiac arrest.
Heart attack
Cardiac arrest is defined as sudden inability of the heart to perform its function. The sinoatrial node, where the electrical impulse that contracts the heart muscle is generated autonomously, stops working and the heart stops beating.
After cardiac arrest blood supply stops throughout the bodyeither. The brain It is one of the organs that is most quickly affected if it lacks oxygen, so urgent medical help should be sought and treatment started. cardio pulmonary resuscitation while help arrives.
Health professionals who answer the phone can guide you to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if you don't know how to do it. Also, in many establishments and buildings, both public and private, there may be defibrillators with instructions for use for these emergencies.