What is the difference between having asystole and having a cardiac arrest?

Asystole is the end: Asystole, or a heart with no electrical activity, is how we all end up at death. A cardiac arrest can start there, but usually starts with a rapid rhythm that has low or no output or a noncontractile rhythm (ventricular fibrillation). These rhythms are often reversible, asystole is usually simply death.

Sort of: Is a calf a cow? If you are making veal parm? Cardiac arrest is the loss of pumping ability of the heart. That is measured as cardiac output (units l/min). In cardiac arrest it is 0. Asystole is usually used to refer to the lack of electrical activity in the heart. If the electrical system could be measured, it would be measured in amps (current or electrons /sec). In asystole that is 0.

Category...: Cardiac arrest means that the heart is no longer beating and this can be due to different rhythm disturbances. One of the rhythm disturbances that can lead to the heart stopping is asystole, when there is no electrical activity present (ie "flat line" on the heart monitor!).

See below: Asystole is only one kind of arrhythmias that causes cardiac arrest.