Cardiovascular surgeon Dr Kaushal Pandey recently broke down one of the most common misconceptions surrounding heart health: the tendency to use the terms heart attack, cardiac arrest, and heart failure interchangeably. Explaining heart failure, Dr Pandey said, “Heart failure is a condition where the heart is not able to pump a sufficient amount of blood for the needs of the body. Heart attack, cardiac arrest and heart failure: How are they different? “A serious heart attack can weaken the heart and cause heart failure, or in certain cases it can induce a cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrestUnlike a heart attack, cardiac arrest usually occurs without warning.