Have you seen before that classic dramatic scene in a movie, someone puts his hands on his chest, complains about severe pain, and then he falls unconscious to the ground?

1. Is it a Cardiac Arrest,
Angina, a Heart Attack or a
Stroke?
Have you seen before that classic dramatic scene in a movie,
someone puts his hands on his chest, complains about severe
pain, and then he falls unconscious to the ground?
Of course, we all did.
The first thing that comes up to your mind is that he may have
a “stroke” or a “heart attack.” Are they the same? Are stroke
and heart attack interchangeable conditions? Well, they’re not
the same.
According to recent studies, most people are not fully aware
about the difference between emergencies; especially those
related to our heart and brain. They make a mistake and use
wrong terms and synonyms. Knowing the difference between these
terms makes a difference. They would have saved someone’s
life.
We will discuss the difference between most of the commonly
mistaken emergencies: Heart Attack”, Angina, Cardiac Arrest,
and Stroke. You’ll also learn how to deal with each of them.
Heart Attack
A heart attack is a circulation problem. It occurs when there
is a block in the blood flow to your heart. Your heart
arteries become blocked, so the oxygen-rich blood doesn’t
reach your heart. If the arteries are blocked for too long
inside a part of the heart, it begins to die. Coronary
arteries diseases that supply the heart are the most common
cause for a heart attack. Also, the emotional stress on the
long term may trigger a heart attack.

2. The symptoms of a heart attack often start slowly and can take
up from days up to weeks.
How will you feel when it’s a heart attack?
You may feel a gradual increasing pain in your chest or
upper body parts such as your shoulder.
Shortness of breath
Cold sweat
In some cases, nausea or vomiting
What to do in a heart attack?
Most important, like any emergency, call the emergency number
in your area. In case of a heart attack, try to calm down the
person till the paramedics arrive. If possible, give them a
chewable baby Aspirin.
What if the person stopped breathing suddenly?
Until the paramedics arrive, start doing CPR if you’re a
trained one.
Cardiac Arrest
A Cardiac Arrest is an “electrical” problem and occurs to your
heart when there’s something wrong with your heart’s
electrical signals. It causes an irregular heat beat
(Arrhythmia) and your heart stops beating suddenly. In a
cardiac arrest case, the heart can’t pump blood to other body
organs such as brain and lungs. The most common cause for
arrest is Ventricular Fibrillation which is an irregular
arrhythmia in your heart ventricles. An important thing you
should know – cardiac arrests don’t develop on their own. They
occur as a result of an external inducer such electrical
shock, intake of illegal drugs or intense chest traumas. Also,
if untreated, a heart attack can cause ventricular
fibrillation on the long term. This can then lead to a cardiac
arrest.

3. The symptoms of a cardiac arrest do not persist for too long
and occurs with no warning. Unlike the heart attack, in a
cardiac arrest, the person starts to breathe irregularly and
suddenly falls unconscious, it’s a life-threatening emergency
if it’s not treated within minutes.
What are the sure symptoms for a cardiac arrest?
Sudden collapse with no response
No pulse
No breathing
Loss of consciousness
Unfortunately, in case of a cardiac arrest, you don’t have
much time. If you don’t deal with it immediately, this leads
to the person’s death.
Firstly, call the emergency number in your area. If you’ve
trained performing CPR before, start performing CPR (100-120
compressions per minute with rescue breathes every 30
compressions) until the paramedics arrive. If you are
untrained, just provide hands-only CPR by making uninterrupted
chest compressions with no rescue breathes (100-120
compressions per minute), To learn CPR you should take an
accredited first-aid training course including how to do CPR.
Angina
Most people mistaken an “angina” with a heart attack. The
difference between them is that angina occurs when the heart
doesn’t get enough oxygen within a short period of time.
Often, the chest pain disappears with rest or nitroglycerin.
Another difference is that angina does notresult in damaging
of affected heart parts permanently as in a heart attack.
In a heart attack, the pain can go away and return after a
period of time even at rest, while angina pain disappears
within a short period of time at rest, and this type of angina
is called ” Stable Angina”.

4. Another kind of angina called “Unstable Angina”, is
characterized by recurrent pain. It can lead to a serious
heart attack.
The symptoms of angina are the same as heart attack. They
differ in how long they last and the intensity during rest
determines whether it’s an angina or a heart attack.
The best thing to do when you feel the symptoms for any of
them is to consult your cardiologist for a better recovery.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Remember that the more you
wait, the more damage you cause to your heart as angina can
lead to a serious heart attack.
Stroke
Unlike the previous conditions that are related to the heart,
a stroke is a “brain attack.” It occurs when blood flow to an
area of the brain is blocked. When the brain cells don’t get
enough oxygen, this leads to their death, and this kind of
stroke is known as “Ischemic stroke”. Another kind of stroke
called “Hemorrhagic Stroke” results due to the rupture of
blood vessels in brain as the blood leaks to the surrounding
areas.
Common Symptoms for a Stroke
Sudden numbness and weakness on one side of body (face,
arm, leg)
Drooping face
Troubled speech
Blurry vision
Dizziness and imbalance
Trouble walking
Confusion
Sudden severe headache with no specific reason
We know that our brain is the master of your organs. It
controls your entire body, so even the least damage to this

5. important organ can lead to serious disabilities.
What to do if you saw someone with these symptoms
Call the emergency number in your area immediately. Time is of
utmost important, so don’t wait. The person should be rescued
within five minutes, this reduces the risk of having future
disabilities.
Remember that you can save someone’s life by dealing with each
emergency properly. Take them seriously. Now, you are more
equipped and knowledgeable to identify and know now the
difference between each of them.
ANF therapy can provide assessment and consultation for
treatment of pain and other symptoms. Contact us for more
information.