What is the difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest? Doctors told the formula for healthy heart

Nowadays, heart related problems are common and are becoming the biggest cause of early death of people all over the world. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year 17.9 million (1.79 crore) people die due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is a matter of concern that four out of every five people die due to heart attack and stroke. In such a situation, it becomes important to take care of your heart health.

World Heart Day is celebrated every year on 29 September to increase awareness about heart related diseases. This year, on the special occasion of World Heart Day 2024, NBT organized ‘Dil Ki Baat’ webinar, in which the country’s renowned and experienced cardiologists, Dr. Vinay Kumar Bahl, Dr. Naresh Kumar Goyal, Dr. Ravi Prakash, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Dr. Kumar Rajeev, Dr. Karthikeya Bhargava, Dr. Ajay Kaul, and Dr. Amit Choudhary participated and openly expressed their views on every small and big thing related to ‘Cardiac Health’.

‘Key to Cardiac Health: Cardiac Arrest VS Heart Attack’

Dr. Vinay Kumar Bahl and Dr. Naresh Kumar Goyal talked about common heart related problems. Both said that sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol addiction, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and genetic factors are some of the major reasons due to which the risk of heart attack increases. Taking the discussion forward, Dr. Ravi explained the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack in simple language.

he/she told that in cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops working and the patient suddenly falls. his/her pulse and blood pressure stops. Whereas heart attack is a condition in which blood does not reach the heart. Blood flow in the arteries stops, or ends. Due to this there is lack of oxygen and attack occurs. During this time, symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and nausea may be present.

Doctors consider both cardiac arrest and heart attack as serious. Both situations are fatal. To avoid this, healthy diet, regular exercise and balanced lifestyle play an important role. To keep the heart healthy, it is necessary to check cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar. Apart from this, after identifying the symptoms, tests like ECG, echocardiography and angiography should be done on time. Also, in case of any kind of problem, one should go to the doctor. If timely treatment is received, the lives of most patients are saved.

‘Recognize the Signs, Save Life: Heart Health First Aid Complete Guide’

The cases of heart attack and cardiac arrest are continuously increasing. Dr. Sanjay Kumar explains that in such a situation, CPR and cardiac massage work like life saving. If a person’s heart rate suddenly decreases, his/her life can be saved by cardiac massage. Similarly, if CPR is given to the patient properly immediately after a heart attack, he/she can be saved. The heart can be kept alive completely by CPR.

Shortness of breath, pain or heaviness in the chest, extreme fatigue, excessive sweating or dizziness. These are some signs that point towards a heart attack. According to Dr. Kumar Rajeev, no one, whether male or female, should ignore them and go to the hospital immediately. Dr. Kumar explains that during a heart attack, the pain does not always occur only in the left side of the chest, but it can occur in any part of the chest. In some cases, pain is felt only in the jaw or left arm. Whereas in many cases the pain can extend from the jaw to the navel.

Heart attack and cardiac arrest, both are emergency medical conditions in which the patient needs to be taken to the hospital immediately. In this situation, if the patient does not get timely medical help, the risk of death may increase. This is why doctors advise not to ignore even minor symptoms of heart attack. Every house should have a medical emergency number so that an ambulance etc. can be called if needed. Apart from this, on the advice of the doctor, you can also keep some medicines at home and give them to the patient in case of emergency.

Nothing is impossible: a ‘technological revolution’ in cardiovascular disease care.

There has been a revolutionary change in the treatment of cardiac or heart patients in the last few years. The healthcare system has become quite advanced in today’s time. Instead of traditional open heart surgery, new technology has now revolutionized it. Doctor Ajay Kaul says that if heart diseases are identified early, then up to 60 percent of the problems can be cured. Advanced heart health care system is playing an important role in this. ECG, Echography, CT Scan, MRI, Spot Test, AI are some big examples of advanced technology.

Heart surgeries have also become modern now. Describing Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS), Dr. Amit Chaudhary explains that it has proven to be an advanced technology for the treatment of coronary heart diseases. Its biggest advantage is that the patient is now discharged from the hospital sooner. Their wounds heal quickly and they soon recover and return to work. Apart from MICS, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) surgeries are also being used extensively today.

Advanced equipment is also playing an important role in the treatment of heart related problems. Leadless pacemaker is one such advanced device. Dr. Karthikeya Bhargava explains, it is much smaller than the traditional pacemaker. It is used to treat problems related to heartbeat. Leadless pacemakers are just one example. There are many other advanced tools which are proving to be a boon in the treatment of heart related diseases.

According to experts, heart patients can be saved with the help of timely identification of heart disease, effective first aid and advanced heart health care. Apart from this, experts say that ‘prevention is better than cure’. Therefore avoid smoking and alcohol consumption. Take a healthy diet, exercise regularly and keep yourself updated as much as possible.

You can watch the NBT ‘Dil Ki Baat’ webinar here: Add