First Aid for Heart Attack
By knowing the signs or symptoms of a heart attack beforehand, you will be able to respond the critical situation promptly. Every minute is crucial for the patient’s life, so it is important to get medical help as soon as possible. Call local emergency number immediately if you see someone is unconscious from a presumed heart attack. But if you have the ability to perform emergency procedures, you can also help the patient before the arrival of emergency services.
You can begin with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help deliver oxygen to the body and brain. CPR is the combination of both chest compressions, to support the heart (artificially pump blood out of the heart and round the body), and artificial respiration, to support the lungs (artificially blow oxygen into the lungs). The recommended guidelines are that CPR should begin with 30 compressions and then two rescue breaths and then continued at 30 compressions to two breaths.
If the person remains unconscious after the pulse and breath are restored, 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.
You can also get someone else to help you perform the procedures – one person to perform artificial respiration and the other to perform compression. If you haven’t been trained, continue doing compressions only, about 100 a minute until paramedics arrive. To perform first aid and resuscitation properly, you need to learn the technique through regular practice and guidance.
Here are other things that you can do to help a person who is having a heart attack, especially if the person is still responsive:
- Loosen any tight clothing.
- Make sure the person is in comfortable position (sit them on the floor, leaning against a wall or chair) and try to keep calm. This will ease the strain on the heart.
- Ask if the person takes any chest pain medication for a known heart condition, such as nitroglycerin, and help them take it. However, do not give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medication has been prescribed.
- If the pain does not go away promptly with rest or within 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.
- Do not leave the person alone except to call for help.
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