When SCA occurs, no blood can be pumped to the rest of the body. SCA is responsible for half of all heart disease deaths.
Sudden cardiac arrest and death can occur without warning and result from an electrical system malfunction in the heart. It is not a heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction). A heart attack is when a blockage in a blood vessel interrupts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, causing heart muscle to die.