Reacting to Heart Attack
Heart Attack is an emergency medical situation. If someone near and dear to you is confronted with a heart attack, don’t panic or get nervous. Your immediate action can decide everything before the arrival of emergency services. So it is very important to know what you can do beforehand.
When a person suffers from a heart attack, the blood that flows to the heart get blocked due to the clot formation in the arteries. Due to lack of oxygen and nutrients, the heart muscles get damaged. If the flow of the blood is not restored immediately, it can prove to be fatal. Your right action can make all the difference in this life and death situation. However, you can handle this emergency situation only if you know its symptoms.
• Heaviness or Discomfort in the Chest
• Severe Chest Pain
• Pain spreading from Shoulder to Jaw
• Shortness of Breath (Notice the position of the chest if it is rising or falling)
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Low pulse rate
• Vomiting
• Sweating excessively
Sometimes these symptoms are mild. But for heart patients, even mild symptoms can be life threatening. So we should not ignore if a heart patient has any of this symptoms even in a very mild form.
Following steps can help you to handle the situation and save the patients life.
Step 1: Make the patient feel comfortable by making him lie down in an airy place. Give him an aspirin to chew, if he / she is not allergic to it.
Step 2: Call for an ambulance immediately. Don’t leave the patient alone. (Always keep all emergency phone numbers handy).
Step 3: If patient has a severe heart attack and he stops breathing, provide artificial respiration immediately (mouth to mouth resuscitation). To do this, take a deep breath and seal your own mouth over the person’s mouth and breathe slowly into his mouth. Do this twice. Check if chest rises as you breathe into the patient.
Step 4: You can also perform a CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) even if you are untrained. Let the patient lie on his back, keep the palm of your hand on the patient’s chest. To press the chest inwards, push down in pumping motion.
Step 5: Get an electrocardiogram (ECG) done as soon as the patient reaches the hospital.
