On numerous occasions, we have seen coverage in the media about someone dying of a suspected heart attack. This diagnosis isn’t entirely accurate because although heart attacks are life threatening they do not result in death. However, a heart attack can develop into a cardiac arrest that if untreated within a few minutes can result in imminent death.

When it’s a matter of life and death, it is important to understand the differences between these two conditions to ensure that the emergency service team get an accurate briefing before they arrive at the scene. Read on to increase your understanding of the important differences between a heart attack and cardiac arrest:

What to do when a heart attack happens

Heart attacks are a common yet serious medical emergency.

A heart attack is one of the most common medical emergencies occurring in the UK, and the British Heart Foundation estimates that 82,000 people in the UK suffer a heart attack every year.

A sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) often occurs without any warning when the electrical activity of a heart becomes so chaotic that it stops pumping blood around the body. In the UK, there are 30,000 cardiac arrests each year out of hospital, and only one in 10 victims survive to be discharged.

When someone suffers an SCA, every minute that goes by without them receiving help decreases their chance of survival by 10%.  Even an untrained person can take action to help someone suffering from an SCA, help which could potentially be life saving. 

On Tuesday the 8^th March, approximately 554,000 school children will find out if they have been offered a place at their preferred secondary school.

Due to a surge in the population, the competition is fierce with the most sought after schools under a great deal of pressure.  After 70% of local authorities saw an increase last year in the number of parents whose child lost out on their top choice; it is likely that many parents will be appealing this year’s result in the hope that their children will become a top achiever at their chosen school.

We urge you to take a look at the bigger picture because the quality of a school shouldn’t be evaluated solely on the performance of the pupils in their GCSEs and A-levels. Other factors must be considered such as the schools performance in the Ofsted report and most importantly whether your child will be safe in their hands.