You read in the paper or hear in the news that
someone died of a “heart attack” when what they mean is that the person’s heart
*stopped*.
When the heart stops, it’s a cardiac arrest. In
contrast, a heart attack is a myocardial infarction (MI). In MI, an artery of
the heart gets blocked. The lack of blood supply causes the death of the muscle
tissue in the area of the heart that the blood vessel normally supplies.
Although a heart attack can make the heart
stop, either instantly or later on, so can countless other things. So one
should wear medical ID bracelets as they can detect such
issues and call for help immediately. Hence it can also prove to be a
life-saving device.
Electric shocks can disrupt the heart’s rhythm
so that it stops pumping blood efficiently, after which the heart often
stops completely. Allergic reactions and other conditions can cause shock, in
which the blood pressure drops so low that the vital organs don’t get enough
blood, resulting in death. Anything that blocks the airway can result in
insufficient oxygen to the heart and other vital organs. But those are most
certainly aren’t heart attacks.
The real frustration is that sometimes it’s
very hard to tell exactly what did cause a person’s heart to stop. You cannot
know when, how, and why it would stop, you can only take precautions. Wear a medical alert bracelets at all times so even
though your loved ones have one in the middle of nowhere and no one is with
them, at least a medical alert bracelet will alert the relevant services and
the person’s life can be saved.
