Do you know the emergency first aid for heart attack? Life is uncertain and anything can happen at any time. Hence, you must always be ready to tackle the challenges life throws at you. Any emergencies such as a sudden heart attack or a major accident requires immediate call to action.
You do not have much time to think when it is a matter of life or death. You have no option but to take action. What will you do if someone near and dear to you or any other person is having a sudden heart attack right in front of you?
I am sure you don’t want to regret being helpless. If you are already having heart problems, it is wise to be prepared to cope up with such situations. But, how will you identify whether it’s a heart burn or indigestion or heart failure?
Let us have a look on what do you mean by heart attack, symptoms and causes of heart attacks and emergency first aid for heart attack.
What Is Heart Attack?
Heart attack is a deadly disease, caused due to immediate distraction of veins and arteries. Human body is brilliantly designed with different organs coordinating and working together performing several kinds of activities.
The most amazing organ is the heart which is the symbol of love and life. When a person has a heart attack, first aid has to be done immediately before taking him to the hospitals.
Heart supplies blood to various parts of the body and for any given reason, if it stops working, then that is the end of your existence on the earth. So be careful and treat it in time.
Millions of people across the world are suffering with heart related diseases, particularly heart attack, a silent disease that develops gradually, bit by bit and causes sudden death with increasing age in both male and female.
Causes Of Heart Attacks
Heart attacks occur when blood supply to vital organs gets blocked. The clot in the arteries blocks the blood supply. People with more than 50 years of age and women having menopause are at greater risk of having a heart attack. Mainly heart attack occurs due to:
- Deposition of calcium / cholesterol
- Hereditary factors
- Tobacco
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Emotional stress
- Inflammatory disease of arteries
- Trauma / disease of heart
Heart Attack Symptoms In Men
- Unbearable chest pain
- Sweating
- Increased or irregular heart rate
- Uneasiness or feeling of heavy pressure or tightness
- Short Breath
- Intolerable pain from shoulder to neck (mild or intense)
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Cold
- Heart burn
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Feeling like indigestion
Note: In some of them, pain may spread to the shoulders, neck or arms or it may affect jaws or throat. In some other, they don’t get chest discomfort, but they suffer from arms or throat pain.
So, if you find out any discomfort or throat pain or neck pain, DO NOT neglect, immediately consult a physician and give first aid for chest pain.
Symptoms usually last for more than 15 minutes and then may halt or decrease. The major symptom for heart attack is excess sweat, feeling of discomfort and short breath.
First Aid For Heart Attack At Home
When a person suddenly has a heart attack, first aid has to be done according to the following points.
1. Immediately after observing symptoms, don’t leave that person alone. Put the victim in a sitting position with knees raised. This is because lifting the person’s legs up for about 10-15 inches will let more blood flow towards the heart. Lose up any tight clothing.
2. Immediately make a call for an emergency helpline for an ambulance service.
3. Don’t give any other medications; ask whether he/she is carrying any prescribed drugs for heart problems.
4. Instruct them to chew 300mg of aspirin slowly, because aspirin inhibits the growth of the blockage, but it shows action on platelets in the blood.
5. Ensure that the patient is breathing and has pulse. Keep the person warm with a jacket or a blanket.
6. If the pulse rate is going down, immediately do Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) i.e. giving artificial respiration- if no pulse is detected, place your palm on chest region to pump – 15 pumps followed by 2 artificial respiration. Have a look at the image below. Continue till ambulance or doctor arrives. This is the best first aid treatment for heart attack.
Prevention For Heart Attack
- Routine health check-up
- Avoid stress
- Quit smoking / alcohol
- Eat sensibly
- Control blood pressure / diabetes
- Control weight
Comfort the victim and keep bystanders calm if you can. Assign jobs to prevent panic.
“Prevention is better than cure”
Check my next article on 9 Essential Tips for Your Healthy Heart and prevent heart diseases.
Spread or share these tips on first aid for heart attack among your network. These first aid courses can bring someone to life.