Heart Attack vs Cardiac Arrest: What’s the Difference?

The terms “heart attack” and “cardiac arrest” are often confused, but they actually describe two very different events. In this episode of The Orange Club Podcast, Dr. Dimpu Edwin explains the difference in simple terms.

Watch the video here: Heart Attack Vs Cardiac Arrest

What Really Happens During a Heart Attack

The heart is a muscle that needs its own blood supply to keep working. A heart attack occurs when that blood supply is blocked, cutting off oxygen to part of the muscle. This interruption can damage the heart tissue, and if not treated quickly, the damage may spread further. In short, a heart attack is a problem of circulation caused by a lack of blood flow.

What Really Happens During Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is an electrical problem. Instead of a blocked artery, the heart’s rhythm suddenly goes into chaos, either beating too rapidly, too irregularly, or stopping altogether. This electrical standstill prevents the heart from pumping blood to the rest of the body. Unlike a heart attack, which develops from blocked blood flow, cardiac arrest is about the heart’s electrical system failing.

Why the Difference Matters

While both terms involve the heart, they describe very different conditions. A heart attack refers to blood supply being cut off, whereas cardiac arrest means the heart has electrically stopped functioning. Understanding this difference helps clear the confusion between the two and makes it easier to grasp what doctors mean when they use these terms.

This is only a snapshot of the conversation. Watch the full heart-attack episode of The Orange Club Podcast here,  Dr. Dimpu Edwin and Dhruv Gupta dive deeper into how these conditions are diagnosed and why knowing the difference can make a real impact on awareness.