Restart a heart: Essential knowledge to keep your workplace safe

Sudden cardiac arrest vs heart attack: What’s the difference?

Many people make the mistake thinking that heart attacks and cardiac arrests are the same, but they are not.

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart is cut off, due to a blocked artery. During a heart attack the heart is still pumping blood around the body and the individual impacted will still be conscious and breathing.

Symptoms of a heart attack can start slowly and build over hours, days or weeks before the heart attack takes place. This can include chest pain, pain in other parts of the body spreading from the chest to the arms, feeling lightheaded or dizzy and sweating.

A sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) happens when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly. They can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time, regardless of an individual’s age, health and lifestyle meaning an SCA can often occur without any warning.

Once an SCA occurs the heart cannot pump blood to the sufferer’s brain, lungs and other organs and the individual impacted will lose unconsciousness and death can occur within minutes if treatment is not given.

SCAs can often occur after a heart attack and attacks increase the likelihood of an arrest happening.

What should I do in the event of a heart attack or SCA?

If you think someone is suffering from a heart attack you should ring 999, keep the individual calm and seek emergency medical support.

In cases of sudden cardiac arrest you should also immediately contact emergency medical services and start CPR as soon as possible as this will help keep blood and oxygen circulating to the brain and around the body.

Having access to an automated defibrillator is essential as it will deliver a controlled jolt of energy to the heart to get it beating as normal.

Did you know that for every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR or having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%? Resuscitation Council UK And, defibrillation will help to increase chances of survival by 75% and will reduce the likelihood of longer-term health issues developing following an SCA.

How can you help to save a life in your workplace?

A defibrillator, also known as a defib or an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can be used by anyone, regardless of previous experience as when switched on it will provide simple instructions and talk you through what you need to do during an emergency.

Currently, there are no legal requirements for workplaces to have AEDs on their premises, despite guidance from the Resuscitation Council UK stating that the maximum distance anyone should be from a defibrillator should be just three minutes.

At Aero Healthcare we have connected thousands of organisations with the right AED solution to suit their workforce, often over multi-site locations.

As the UK distributor for HeartSine Technologies Samaritan Defibrillators, the only defibrillators manufactured in the UK, our devices feature unique, patented technology for CPR feedback to maximise outcomes for sufferers and reassure individuals using the equipment.

To find out more about our range of defibrillators and how we can identify the right device for your workplace needs, click here and to speak to a member of the team about your requirements, get in touch by emailing sales@aerohealthcare.co.uk  or by telephoning 0845 604 8280.