Today, heart disease is the number one killer in the US and chances of you or someone close to you getting a heart attack are pretty high. Therefore, doctors advise that everybody should know the basics about heart attack and how to survive a heart attack.
During a heart attack the faster you act, the better are your chances of surviving and recovering fully from it. Today there are clot-busting drugs and artery-opening treatments that are very effective in preventing a heart attack, thereby limiting damage. However, for these drugs and treatments to be effective they should be given within 1 hour of experiencing the heart attack symptoms.
Very often people do not realize they are having a heart attack because they are not aware of the heart attack symptoms. Many people relate heart attacks to the attacks they see in movies, where one clutches his/her chest in pain and then simply falls over. Because of this it is very important to know the basics of a heart attack and the symptoms associated with it. Quick and timely action is the key to surviving a heart attack and if you know the symptoms associated with it you will be able to act in time.
Symptoms
The warning signs of a heart attack include:
• Squeezing pain in the center of the chest. You may also feel pressure or fullness in the chest
• Pain and discomfort in your arms, shoulders, back, neck and jaws
• Shortness of breath with little exertion
• Unexplained sweating
• Nausea
• Pain in the upper abdomen that would not go away
• Lightheadedness
• Fainting
Sometimes there could be other reasons why all these symptoms might occur; however, it is best to see a doctor right away to find out the exact cause.
Heart Attack
A heart attack means death of heart muscle. Heart attack could happen because there is blockage in one of the coronary arteries. Once the blockage occurs, the heart is starved of oxygen. If the blood flow is not restored to the heart within a few hours, the heart muscle begins to die. That is why it is important to seek medical help right away so that you can minimize the damage to the heart muscle.
Call 9-1-1
The first step you should take when a heart attack happens is dial 9-1-1. You should call even if you are not sure you are having a heart attack or not. You should not wait more than 5 minutes to call 9-1-1. Moreover, it is better to call 9-1-1 than to drive to the hospital because emergency medical services (EMS) begin treatment as soon as they arrive. They carry drugs and equipments required under the circumstances. If someone else is driving you to the hospital, tell the emergency staff at the hospital that you think you are having a heart attack. This way you will get prompt medical attention.
What Else You Can Do
While waiting for the EMS to arrive, you can take nitroglycerin as prescribed by your doctor. If someone is having a heart attack in front of you, you should administer half a tablet of aspirin (crushed). Aspirin helps stop blood clotting, thereby maintaining blood flow through the narrowed coronary artery.
If you come across someone who has lost consciousness due to a presumed heart attack, obviously the first thing you should do is call 9-1-1. If you are trained in emergency procedures, you should first give CPR. This will deliver the much needed oxygen to the brain and body. If you do not know how to do CPR, then you should do chest compression. Doctors recommend that chest compression should be done at a rate of 100 per minute. This helps deliver blood to the brain and heart.
Once you arrive at the hospital’s emergency room and it has been ascertained that you are having a heart attack, doctors might give you mediation or straightaway go for surgery- depending on the damage caused to your heart.
In a heart attack, the first few hours are very critical. And if you are able to get medical help when you notice the first signs of a heart attack, your chances of full recovery are very bright. Remember timely action is the key to surviving and full recovery.