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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
If you're confused by the terms used to describe heart attacks, you're not alone. They're often described as "mild" or "massive," or even the ominous-sounding "widow maker." But these terms are not necessarily helpful, and they may create confusion and anxiety. The good news: most people who have a heart attack survive. The bad news? "Any heart attack can be fatal, no matter how big, how small, or where it occurs in the heart," says Dr. James Januzzi, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "Furthermore, there's a lot of misunderstanding among the general public about what a heart attack actually is," he says. The connection between heart attack vs. cardiac arrest Perhaps the most common source of confusion is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest. A heart attack (what doctors call a myocardial infarction or MI) is defined as damage to part of the heart muscle caused by inadequate blood flow to that area. Most of the time, this happens due to a blockage in one of the heart's arteries. Known as a type 1 heart attack, such blockages typically occur when cholesterol-laden plaque lining an artery ruptures. A clot forms, obstructing the vessel. While a heart attack is a plumbing problem, a cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. Cardiac arrest happens when the heart's electrical system malfunctions, causing it to beat rapidly and chaotically — or to stop beating altogether. Without blood circulating to the brain, lungs, and other organs, the person gasps or stops breathing and becomes unresponsive within seconds. A heart attack is a common cause of cardiac arrest, but most heart attacks do not lead to cardiac arrest. Other possible causes of cardiac arrest include heart failure, a clot in the lungs, a serious imbalance of potassium, magnesium, or other minerals in the blood, a drug overdose, or a blow to the chest. Does size matter? Some heart attacks cause more harm than others. During a heart attack, blood levels of a protein released by damaged muscle (troponin) give some sense of severity. Afterwards, an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) can reveal
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