It is not exactly the same as heart attack but it may be caused by heart attack, where the blood flow of a still-breathing heart might be disrupted. If the internal electronic system of heart which controls the pulse of the heartbeat is disturbed, then it can cause the heart to beat abnormally, this abnormality is called arrhythmia. Arrhythmia can make the heart to beat slowly, too fast or it may completely block the heartbeat. Once it is in progress, cardiac arrest can occur because the heart might stop beating completely. On the other hand it's entirely a different story with heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow is blocked but the heart still continues to beat.

CAUSES OF CARDIAC ARREST

There are several causes of cardiac arrest; a few of them are as under

It could be heart attack, coronary heart disease (it is found as the cause of cardiac arrest in more than 80 percent people), Hypothermia, Poisoning, Suffocation, choking or drowning and Anaphylaxis, Electrocution or may be poisoning.

There might be some exceptional cases as well which include Reye's syndrome, myocarditis, Anorexia Nervosa or eating disorders etc.

SYMPTOMS

Cardiac arrest's symptoms are sudden:

Loss of consciousness, absent pulse, loss of breathing, sudden collapse.

Other cases include dizziness, chest pain, vomiting, drowsiness, fainting, black out etc.

But it attacks at a very rapid rate, without warning.

Risk factors involve smoking, obesity problem, a family record of heart diseases, high blood cholesterol or high blood pressure.

The brain is the first part that is attacked by cardiac arrest, because it highly depends upon the continuous blood flow and if there is a flaw in that then it can cause the brain to malfunction.

Prevention

There are no certain methods or definite ways to prevent the cardiac arrest, the only thing you can do is stay away from unhealthy environment, smoking, eat balanced and hygienic diet, consistent checkups just to keep the record of your physical activeness.