UFC Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Left Without Brain Activity

UFC fighter Shane del Rosario was still being treated on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest at his home two days earlier. He is 30 years old. 

The martial artists was rushed to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif., after suffering from full cardiac arrest in his home. 

Though many confuse a heart attack with cardiac arrest, they are quite different.

According to the American Heart association, cardiac arrest occurs instantly and shortly after symptoms disappear when the heart's electrical system malfunctions. Unlike a heart attack, a patient's heart can suddenly stop working properly due to arrhythmias or abnormal or irregular heart rhythms. For some, if done in time, CPR (cardiopulmonary rescuitation) along with a defibrillator can be used to shock the heart and regain its normal beat again. However, for many, these life-saving functions may not come soon enough. 

In the United States alone, it's estimated that 359,000 people of all ages experience EMS-assessed out of hospital traumatic sudden cardiac arrest each year, with a fatality rate of nine out of 10 victims, according to the Sudden cardiac Arrest Foundation. 

Doctors has taken him off of life support, but he is currently breathing on his own.