What’s the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest?

Hannah Cockcroft, 28, was left with permanent damage in numerous areas of her brain after suffering the two cardiac arrests. The damage caused her weak hips, deformed feet and legs and mobility problems. The fine motor skills in her hands were also affected.

Yorkshire-born Cockcroft’s disability means she uses a wheelchair for long distances, but she has a long list of achievements when it comes to sprint distances.

She holds the world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and 1,500 metres in her classification, as well as the Paralympic records at 100 metres, 200 meters, 400 meters and 800 metres.

While competing for Great British at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Cockcroft won two gold medals.

She then won a further three gold medals at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

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But the star has opened up about shopping difficulties in the past.

She revealed how any tips use their disabled changing rooms and lift spaces for storage.

She told the Halifax Courier: “The amount of times that we go and we can’t get upstairs, we can’t try something on, we can’t get between the rails – a lot of shops are like that and it can be really frustrating, because technically they are turning away your custom for something so simple.

“You have the facilities there, just use them.”

What is a cardiac arrest?

A cardiac arrest usually occurs without warning.

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), if someone is in cardiac arrest, they collapse suddenly and:

• Will be unconscious
• Will be unresponsive and
• Won’t be breathing or breathing normally – not breathing normally may mean they’re making gasping noises

Without immediate treatment or medical attention, a person will die.

So if you see someone having a cardiac arrest you should phone 999 immediately and start CPR.

The main causes of cardiac arrest are:

• A heart attack
• Cardiomyopathy
• Congenital heart disease
• Heart valve disease
• Acute myocarditis

Other causes can include:

• Electrocution
• A drug overdose
• A severe haemorrhage (known as hypovolemic shock) – losing a large amount of blood
• Hypoxia

The BHF explains the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack: “A heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same.

“A heart attack happens when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off. This is often caused by a clot in one of the coronary arteries.

“The heart is still pumping blood around the body during a heart attack. The person will be conscious and breathing.

“A heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest. It’s vitally important to get medical attention immediately by calling 999 for an ambulance if you experience heart attack symptoms.”

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