A heart attack is a serious medical condition in which the heart does not get enough blood, causing great pain and may lead to death thereafter. The obvious cause of a heart attack is blockage of supply of blood to the muscles of the heart itself and therefore the heart stops beating.
A heart attack can be very dangerous as it can cause death within a very short period of time and so it is imperative that you know what to do in advance in case of an emergency.
Symptoms of a heart attack
v Central chest pains.
v Spread of pain moving down on one or both arms, around the neck and jaw.
v Too much sweating
v Gasp for air.
v High discomfort in the abdomen
v Vomiting and feeling nauseated.
What do you do in case of a heart attack?
- Normally it is advisable that you call somebody to take you to the nearest hospital for medication or can call your country’s emergency number for help. Do not drive yourself to the hospital unless it is inevitable.
- Slowly you can chew and swallow aspirin if you are not allergic to it or have been directed by your physician to use it in case of an emergency.
- You can take nitroglycerin if your doctor has previously prescribed it for you. Do not take another person’s nitroglycerin as it may be more harmful.
What help is can you give a person suffering from heart attack?
ü Observe whether the casualty’s chest is moving-used to check breathing. If the victim is breathing, place him or her in the recovery position as you call for help.
ü Without waste of time, on the chest of the patient place the palm of your hand at the lower part of the breast bone and using your hand, press in a pumping motion at least once by help of the other hand. This may trigger the heart into action again.
In case the above procedure does not bring back a pulse or the victim does not start breathing:
- Call for aid and remember to state clearly that the victim has a cardiac arrest. Do not leave the casualty alone.
- Find out if there is any person who has the knowledge of CPR. If there is one, let the person assist.
- Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation with immediate effect. CPR should only be done if you have knowledge of the same otherwise perform chest compressions only.
- Provide instant cardiac massage and thereafter artificial respiration.