Heart attacks & First Aid

Heart attacks & First Aid

A heart attack is one of the most common life-threatening heart conditions in the India

If you suspected someone was having a heart attack, what would you do? : -

Heart attack symptoms - lips turning blue , profuse sweating , extreme gasping for air , sudden fainting or dizziness , persistent, vice-like central chest pain.

Treatment for heart attacks

1. Sit the person down.
2. Call an ambulance immediately, even if you are not sure about the symptoms.
3. If the person is conscious, give them a 300 mg tablet of aspirin to chew.
The main risk is that the heart will stop beating. Be prepared to resuscitate if necessary.
Source : http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/First-aid/First-aid-tips-and-videos/Heart-attacks

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Symptoms

•Severe chest pain that doesn't ease with rest
•Breathlessness and nausea
•Giddiness
•Sense of doom
•Irregular pulse
•Ashen, cold skin and blue lips
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Heart attack – emergency first aid

What should you do if someone has a heart attack?

A heart attack will cause severe chest pains behind the breast bone, often radiating towards the left arm.
If someone has a cardiac arrest or heart attack, there may be only a few minutes to act before it is too late. It is vital to know what to do beforehand.
To perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and artificial respiration (mouth to mouth resuscitation) effectively, training and frequent practice on resuscitation dummies are essential.
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How can you tell if someone is having a heart attack?

If the person is unconscious:
are they breathing? Look at the patient's chest to see if it is rising and falling
do they have a pulse? Place two fingers on one or other side of the person's voice box in their throat to feel if they have a carotid pulse.

If the patient has a pulse but is not breathing:
Could it be because of suffocation? Feel inside the mouth with a finger to see if there is anything blocking it or the windpipe and remove any food or other objects. Provided that dentures are not broken, it is better not to remove them

call for help immediately, stating that the casualty is not breathing, and provide resuscitation (see below) until the patient begins to breathe or the ambulance arrives.

If there is no breathing or pulse, the patient has had a cardiac arrest.
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What help is needed?


Immediately place the palm of your hand flat on the patient's chest just over the lower part of the sternum (breast bone) and press your hand in a pumping motion once or twice by using the other hand. This may make the heart beat again.

If these actions do not restore a pulse or if the subject doesn't begin to breathe again:
call for help, stating that the casualty is having a cardiac arrest but stay with the patient find out if any one else present knows CPR provide artificial respiration immediately (see below) begin CPR immediately (see below).
How to give artificial respiration
Tilt the head back and lift up the chin.
Pinch the nostrils shut with two fingers to prevent leakage of air.
Take a deep breath and seal your own mouth over the person's mouth.
Breathe slowly into the person's mouth – it should take about two seconds to adequately inflate the chest.
Do this twice.
Check to see if the chest rises as you breathe into the patient.
If it does, enough air is being blown in.
If there is resistance, try to hold the head back further and lift the chin again.
Repeat this procedure until help arrives or the person starts breathing again.
How do I perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)?
See if there is breathing. If not, start artificial respiration as described above. Checking for a pulse in the neck (carotid artery) may waste valuable time if the rescuer is inexperienced in this check. The procedure is:
place your fingers in the groove between the windpipe and the muscles of the side of the neck. Press backwards here to check for a pulse.
If there is no pulse, or if you are unsure, then proceed without delay thus:
look at the person's chest and find the 'upside-down V' shaped notch that is made by the lower edge of the ribcage. Place your middle finger in this notch and then place your index finger beside it, resting on the breastbone. Take the heel of your other hand and slide it down the breastbone until it is touching this index finger. The heel of your hand should now be positioned on the middle of the lower half of the breastbone.
now place the heel of your other hand on top of the first. Keep your fingers off the chest, by locking them together. Your pressure should be applied through the heels of the hands only.
keep your elbows straight, and bring your body weight over your hands to make it easier to press down.
press down firmly and quickly to achieve a downwards movement of 4 to 5cm, then relax and repeat the compression.
do this 15 times, then give artificial respiration twice, and continue this 15:2 procedure until help arrives.
aim for a rate of compression of about 100 per minute. You can help your timing and counting by saying out loud 'one and two and three and four ...' etc.
Artificial respiration and CPR should both be performed at the same time
If possible, get someone else to help – one person to perform artificial respiration and the other to perform CPR. (This is not easily done without prior practice and it is well worth attending sessions on CPR training to become familiar with the technique.)
The ratio of chest compressions to breaths is 15:2 for both one-person and two-person CPR.
Continue until the ambulance arrives or the patient gets a pulse and starts to breathe again.
If the pulse returns and breathing begins but the person remains unconscious, roll them gently onto their side into the recovery position. This way mucus or vomit can get out of the mouth and will not obstruct the patient's breathing. It also prevents the tongue from falling back and blocking the air passage.
Make sure the patient continues breathing and has a pulse until the ambulance arrives
If you succeed in resuscitating the person who has been taken ill, he or she may be confused and alarmed by all the commotion. Keep the patient warm and calm by quietly, but clearly, telling them what has happened.
Again, it needs to be emphasised that the only way to provide proper first aid and resuscitation is through learning the technique, then regular practice and guidance.

Source : http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/heartattack.htm

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Aspirin works to help prevent blood clots.

During a suspected heart attack, aspirin can play a critical lifesaving role if taken as directed by a doctor.

Research has shown that aspirin reduces the risk of death by 23 percent if administered when a heart attack is suspected and for 30 days thereafter. Aspirin can also lessen the damaging effects of the heart attack. The use of aspirin as a “heart attack first aid” could potentially save 10,000 lives each year.

The mechanism by which aspirin works in the treatment of heart attack is not completely understood. However, we do know that aspirin help reduce platelet clumping or blood clotting which helps cause blockage in blood vessels.
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