Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack: What Every Nigerian Family Must Know
Two Different Emergencies
Confusion between heart attack and cardiac arrest costs lives. Understanding the difference — and knowing the correct response to each — is essential knowledge for every Lagos family, workplace, and community.
Heart Attack: The Blocked Artery
FXMed tip: If any of this sounds familiar, our Immune Support Programme may be exactly what you need. Book a free assessment to find out where your health stands today.
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when a coronary artery is suddenly blocked, cutting off blood supply to a section of heart muscle. The person is conscious, breathing, and in severe distress. Time is critical — every minute of delay damages more heart muscle. Symptoms: chest pain/pressure (may radiate to arm, jaw, or back), sweating, nausea, breathlessness. Action: Call for emergency transport immediately. Aspirin 300mg chewed (not swallowed whole) if not allergic and not bleeding. Do not let the patient drive themselves.
Cardiac Arrest: The Heart Has Stopped
Cardiac arrest means the heart has stopped beating entirely — the person collapses, is unresponsive, and is not breathing normally. Without intervention, death or permanent brain damage occurs within 4–6 minutes. Action: Start CPR immediately (30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths, or compression-only CPR if untrained in rescue breaths). Call for emergency help while doing this. Use an AED (automated defibrillator) if available — they are now present in some Lagos hotels, malls, and corporate buildings.
Bystander CPR Saves Lives
The single greatest determinant of cardiac arrest survival outside hospital is whether a bystander starts CPR immediately. In Nigeria, CPR training in the general population is extremely rare. FXMed offers CPR and first aid training workshops for Lagos households, schools, and corporate teams.
Book a First Aid Training Session
Contact FXMed to arrange a CPR and emergency response training session for your home, school, or office. This is the most valuable health investment your community can make.
Ready to take action?
At FXMed, we go beyond symptom management. FXMed's Home Visit Service brings qualified doctors to your home or office anywhere in Lagos — typically within hours. Our Immune Support Programme is designed specifically to address the root causes discussed in this article.
About the Author
FXMed Team
Related Articles
Pregnant? Here's What Your Antenatal Care Might Be Missing
Standard antenatal checks are important — but they don't catch everything. Functional maternal care ...
Your Hormones Are Trying to Tell You Something — Are You Listening?
Irritability, weight gain, irregular periods, low libido — these aren't personality flaws or just 'g...