Understanding cardiac arrest

It is important to understand that cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack is when blood is prevented from flowing to the heart, while cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating or cannot circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs.

When cardiac arrest begins, the body has a very limited amount of time before it can no longer survive. Breathing stops soon after and oxygen is not able to reach other parts of the body. After oxygen stops circulating:

• Brain damage begins within 4-6 minutes
• The brain damage is permanent after 8-10 minutes
• Death