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Heart Attack

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A heart attack is a medical emergency. Call 108 or your local emergency number if you think you or someone else is having a heart attack.

The average person waits 3 hours before seeking help for symptoms of a heart attack. Many heart attack patients die before they reach a hospital. The sooner the person gets to the emergency room, the better the chance of survival. Prompt medical treatment reduces the amount of heart damage.

Causes

A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that carries oxygen to the heart is blocked. The heart muscle becomes starved for oxygen and begins to die.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person. They may be mild or severe.

Symptoms in adults may include:

  • Changes in mental status, especially in older adults.
  • Chest pain that feels like pressure, squeezing, or fullness. The pain is most often in the centre of the chest. It can last for more than a few minutes, or come and go.
  • Cold sweat.
  • Light headedness.
  • Nausea
  • Numbness, aching, or tingling in the arm (usually the left arm, but the right arm may be affected alone, or along with the left).
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Weakness or fatigue.

First Aid

If you think someone is having a heart attack:

  • Have the person sit down, rest, and try to keep calm.
  • Loosen any tight clothing.
  • Ask if the person takes any chest pain medicine such as nitroglycerin for a known heart condition help them take it.
  • If the pain does not go away promptly with rest or within 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.
  • If the person is unconscious and unresponsive, call 108 (or your local emergency number) and  begin CPR.
  • Continue CPR till the person recover or you get a medical support

How to do CPR?

  • Check the response
  • Check the carotid pulse for less than 10 second.
  • If in case of feeble pulse or no pulse start CPR. Perform 30 compression and 2 breathing and continue the cycle

Do Not:

  • Do NOT leave the person alone except to call for help if necessary.
  • Do NOT allow the person to deny the symptoms and convince you not to call for emergency help.
  • Do NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away.
  • Do NOT give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medicine (such as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.

Prevention

Adults should take steps to control heart disease risk factors whenever possible.

  • If you smoke, quit. Smoking more than doubles the chance of developing heart disease.
  • Keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes in good control and follow your health care provider’s orders.
  • Lose weight if obese or overweight.
  • Get regular exercise to improve heart health.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet.
  • Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. One drink a day is associated with reducing the rate of heart attacks.

To read more on First Aid, click on the link below.

First Aid