Though respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest mean specific things, the terms can be confusing for patients or laypeople.
The difference between them is the presence of a pulse.
During respiratory (also known as pulmonary) arrest, breathing stops.
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During cardiac arrest, blood flow stops.
However, respiratory arrest patients still have a beating heart that is pushing blood around the body.
Cardiac arrest patients do not.
The way to feel that beating heart is through the blood pulsing through the arteries.
Both respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest are treated withcardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Respiratory Arrest Leads to Cardiac Arrest
These two conditions are absolutely linked.
Respiratory arrest will always lead to cardiac arrest if nothing is done to treat it.
Sometimes, however, it can take several minutes.
It might be beating or not, but either way, there isn’t any blood pulsing around.
Without blood, the brain cannot survive.
A constant supply of fresh blood is required to keep the brain alive and functioning properly.
When blood supply stops, the brain shuts down, including its respiratory center.
So, when the heart stops, so does breathing, usually within a minute or less.
A person may have irregular, “gasping” breaths (calledagonal breathing) before they stop breathing completely.
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