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Heart Attack Emergency: A Guide to Quick First Aid

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack is a basic medical problem that happens when the blood supply to the heart is unexpectedly blocked by a blood coagulation. It is often joined by an enduring, constricting pain in the chest which may spread to the arms, jaw, back, neck, or stomach.

Recognized as a medical emergency, the initial aid administered can play a pivotal role in determining the individual's survival. Swift access to medical assistance increases the likelihood of survival. Immediate medical intervention is crucial in mitigating potential damage to the heart. 

Symptoms of Heart Attack

Common symptoms of heart attack are listed below, 

• A feeling of discomfort or uneasiness in the chest for more than a few minutes may come and go. There might be a sensation of pressing, pain, heaviness, and fullness.
• Pain in the upper body, like the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. There might be general agony or distress.
• A sensation of numbness, tingling, or discomfort in the arm, often affecting the left arm, though the right arm may be affected independently or concurrently with the left.
• Breathing issues might happen such as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. It might likewise be joined by chest discomfort.
• Unexplained fatigue or weakness
• Sweating, nausea, or lightheadedness
• Paleness, whiteness, or ashen color of the skin
• Irregular heartbeat
• Rapid heart rate
• An unusual temperature, a cold sweat, nausea, vomiting,
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
• Unexplained fatigue or weakness

Heart Attack First Aid: What to do in an Emergency

Heart Attack First Aid Do's and Don'ts

Do’s

If someone is experiencing a heart attack, it's crucial to take immediate action. Here are the first-aid steps to follow:

Call Emergency Services:

• Dial your local emergency number immediately (e.g., 911 in the United States).
• Communicate that someone is having a heart attack and provide your location

Stay Calm and Reassure the Person:

• Keep the individual calm and urge them to sit down and rest.
• Console them that help is coming.
• Loosen any tight clothing to ease breathing.

Administer Aspirin, if Available:

• Have the person chew a regular, uncoated aspirin (usually 325 mg) if they are not allergic to it and it is readily available.
• Aspirin assists with diminishing the blood and may further improve blood flow to the heart.

Help with Prescribed Medicines:

• Assist the patient in taking any heart-related medications that have been prescribed to them, such as nitroglycerin.
• If the chest pain doesn't disappear immediately with rest or somewhere around 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.

Monitor and Perform CPR, if Necessary:

• Watch out for the individual's condition and be ready to perform CPR if they become lethargic or unresponsive and are not breathing typically.
• Perform one minute of CPR on an infant or child who is unconscious, unresponsive, and not breathing or having a pulse.
• If the person is unconscious and unresponsive, doesn't have a heartbeat, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) is quickly accessible - adhere to the directions on the AED device.

Heart Attack Emergency: A Guide to Quick First Aid

How is CPR Performed?

CPR-Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is fundamentally a two-fold process. It includes ensuring that the heart pumps blood to the body by compressing the chest and giving artificial respiration by blowing oxygen into the lungs.

To Perform Chest Compression:

• Bow down close to the victim of the heart issue
• Put the heel of one hand on the victim's lower sternum
• Place the heel of the second hand on top of the direct and interlock your fingers
• Keep your elbows straight and put all your body weight closely following your hand.
• For a movement of 4-5 cm, press down quickly and firmly. Unwind and pack once more. Try not to lose contact between the hands and the sternum.
• Try to do chest compression at a rate of 100 per minute.
• After 30 compressions, give artificial respiration two times and keep a proportion of 30:2 till professional help arrives.

To Give a Person Artificial Respiration

• Squeeze the nostrils shut
• Take a full breath and blow into the individual's mouth. The ideal time to inflate the person's chest is two seconds.
• Repeat the cycle multiple times
• Verify whether the individual's chest expands when you blow in, which it ought to if enough air is being blown in.
• Repeat this method until help arrives or till the individual begins breathing again.

Don'ts

• Unless you really need to contact for assistance, do not leave the individual alone.
• Allowing them to deny the symptoms and persuade you not to dial for emergency assistance is not acceptable.
• Do not wait to see if the symptoms pass.
• Until a prescription for a cardiac medication (such as nitroglycerin) has been issued, do not give the patient anything by mouth.

For a more comprehensive understanding of heart attacks and proactive heart health measures, you may want to refer to our previous article, "Heart Attack (Acute Myocardial Infarction)." In that insightful piece, we delve into the signs of heart attacks, risk factors, and preventive strategies to maintain a healthy heart. Building upon that foundation, the current article focuses specifically on crucial first aid information for handling heart attack situations. To gain a holistic perspective on heart health, feel free to explore the comprehensive insights provided in our earlier publication by following this link: Heart Attack (Acute Myocardial Infarction). Your commitment to being well-informed empowers you to take swift and informed action in times of need.

FAQs About Heart Attack

How long do heart attacks last?

The duration of heart attack symptoms may range from a few minutes to many hours. The symptoms of a heart attack usually subside within a few days, and persistent symptoms might indicate a chronic heart problem or another illness. Get in touch with your doctor right away if your symptoms continue.

What contributes to heart attack?

Your risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks might include age, family history, lifestyle, and certain medical conditions. These are what we call risk factors. The primary causes of heart disease include excessive blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking.

How does a heart attack feel?

The central chest discomfort that either lasts for many minutes or comes and goes is what most heart attacks are defined by. It might feel tight, squeezing, uncomfortable, or under pressure. Among the symptoms might be pain or discomfort in the jaw, stomach, back, neck, or one or both arms.

How to diagnose heart attack?

A physical examination, diagnostic testing, and a review of medical history are usually used to diagnose a heart attack. Healthcare providers will ask about the patient's symptoms, such as dyspnea, shortness of breath, and any other pertinent information. Vital indicators, like blood pressure and heart rate, may be measured physically.

When it comes to verifying a heart attack, diagnostic testing is essential. The electrocardiogram, often known as the EKG or ECG, is a diagnostic tool used to monitor electrical activity in the heart and identify aberrant patterns that may indicate a heart attack. Blood tests that identify high amounts of certain proteins generated during a heart attack, such as cardiac biomarker tests (creatine kinase-MB and troponin), aid in the assessment of heart muscle damage. To see blood flow and spot obstructions in the coronary arteries, imaging tests such as a cardiac CT scan or coronary angiography may be carried out. Healthcare practitioners can detect a heart attack and decide on the best course of therapy by combining these approaches. Seeking emergency medical assistance is essential for a timely diagnosis and course of action if a heart attack is suspected.

At what age heart attack comes?

Heart attacks are more common in men and women over 45 and over 55 than in younger generations. Tobacco use. Both smoking and prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke fall within this category. Give up smoking if you do.

What is a silent heart attack?

A silent heart attack is a type of myocardial infarction (MI), sometimes referred to as an asymptomatic MI, that happens without the usual or obvious signs such as discomfort or chest pain. Unlike a classic heart attack, which frequently exhibits clear symptoms, a silent heart attack may go undetected or be mistaken for less serious symptoms like indigestion or exhaustion. Still, damage to the heart muscle can result from a silent heart attack even in the absence of obvious symptoms.