Did you know that a heart attack is different from a sudden cardiac arrest?

“A heart attack is a problem of circulation,” said Dr. Tal Azemi, an interventional cardiologist with the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Hartford Hospital. “A patient may have a partial or complete blockage that deprives the heart muscle of blood flow which can stunt or permanently damage the heart muscle.”

“Cardiac arrest or death is a lethal electrical disturbance that causes the heart to be chaotically and ultimately stop,” he said.

In some instances, however, a heart attack and cardiac arrest are linked – but not always.

“A heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest,” Azemi noted.

Learn more, plus the general signs of a heart attack from Dr. Tal Azemi:

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

  • Chest discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea
  • Lightheadness
  • Cold sweat
  • Discomfort of the upper body, including:
    • Back
    • Neck
    • Shoulders
    • Between the shoulders
    • One or both arms
    • Jaw
    • Teeth