What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest occurs when an electrical malfunction of the heart causes it to suddenly stop beating

Symptoms

Symptoms of cardiac arrest come on very suddenly. A victim of cardiac arrest will collapse and lose consciousness. Victims have no pulse and will be gasping or not breathing. Without treatment, death can occur within minutes. Cardiac arrest victims should be connected to a Defib as soon as possible.

A defib can analyse a person's heart rhythm to determine whether an electrical shock is needed to defibrillate the heart. Some rhythms do not require a shock, but in all cases, the rescuer should perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR).

What can you do to help?

Call for help.

Contact emergency services immediately.

Perform high quality CPR.

Push hard and fast on the chest to help move blood through the heart into the rest of the body. Aim for 100 - 120 compression a minute with a depth of 5 - 6 cm.

Use a Defib. If its available, and administer a shock if necessary. You could ask a bystander to check for a defib on a national database or ask the ambulance despatcher where the nearest public one is. If no AED is available, continue CPR until emergency medical services arrive.

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack occurs when blood to the heart is impeded due to a blocked artery.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a heart attack can vary, sometimes coming on suddenly and sometimes starting slowly and persisting for hours, days, or weeks. They can include pain or discomfort in the chest, back or jaw; shortness of breath; cold sweats; and /or nausea and vomiting. Unlike with cardiac arrest, the heart does not stop beating.

If the artery is not unblocked quickly, the section of the heart not receiving oxygen rich blood because of the blockage begins to die. The longer a person goes without treatment, the greater the damage can be.

What can you do to help?

Call for help.

If they are not allergic, tell the person who may be having a heart attack to chew and swallow aspirin.

Start CPR if the person becomes unconscious. Pushing hard and fast on the chest to help move blood though the heart into the rest of the body.

At Defibs.co.uk we want you to be able to achieve the right outcomes during an emergency. We have a wide variety of quality defibs in stock right here. We also have 30 years experience running a wide variety of first aid courses through our sister company STS First Aid. To learn more about our products please get in touch with our friendly & knowledgeable team by calling 020 8211 2054. Alternatively, fill out our Contact Us form and we'll respond to you as soon as possible.