Heart failure, often referred to as congestive heart failure, occurs when the heart is unable to pump sufficiently to maintain blood flow to meet the body's needs. A heart attack, occurs when blood flow stops to a part of the heart causing damage to the heart muscle. Cardiac arrest is a sudden stop in effective blood flow due to the failure of the heart to contract effectively. Symptoms include loss of consciousness and abnormal or absent breathing.
What are heart failure, heart attack and cardiac arrest?