First Aid Tips for Heart Attack

Heart disease is rampant now and most people capitulate to it as they do not know the right steps to prevent a heart attack when they are having one. Yes, you can save a life if you follow the right steps right after a person has had a heart attack. So, it is important to know the right things you can do to prevent the consequences of a heart attack. If you’re near someone who is in the middle of having a heart attack, you have to call an ambulance from the heart specialist hospital in Hyderabad then do the right things. You’ll have very little time on your hands, as little as 8 minutes before the emergency medical services arrive. People think that you get heart attacks only when you are old, this statement cannot be further away from the truth. Nowadays, people get heart attacks as early as 30 or sometimes even younger, the erratic lifestyle may have something to do with it and that is why it is so important to know all about the signs of a heart attack and how you can prevent death. It sounds ominous, unfortunately, it is the hard truth of life.

Signs of a Heart Attack—When do you Need Help?

When do you have a heart attack? It occurs when there is a blockage that cuts off the heart’s blood supply. The heart muscles are then starved of oxygen, followed by another spate of symptoms.  Take a look at some of the symptoms.

• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Fainting
• A sudden bout of sweat
• A feeling of ominous doom or something is not right.

First Aid Tips for Heart Attack

Despite having heard about it or read about it somewhere, too many people just ignore the first signs of a heart attack. You may see someone getting a heart attack in your presence and here is what you can do to stop the consequences.
Here are the first aid tips for heart attack,
If the person is awake and responding to your instructions,

• Administer aspirin, offer at least 324 mg of baby aspirin, or 325 mg of an adult aspirin if the former is not available. The baby aspirin comes without the coating and is absorbed quickly, so it is more preferred than the adult ones.
• If the person in the middle of a heart attack has a history of heart issues, he/she may have nitroglycerin tablets at hand; get it for the patient without touching it as it gets absorbed fast into the bloodstream.
• Don’t give the person food or water.
• Get all his/her medications sorted out.

If the person loses consciousness, these are the things you should do,

• As long as the person is breathing normally, his heart is still functioning optimally. At this point, you can start with various steps such as the following,
• Lower the person to the ground, if you can.
• Roll him to one side to clear his/her airway and keep his head in a relaxed state, yet in an erect way so that the person is not choking as the saliva drains from the mouth.

When the person loses a pulse

• Don’t worry if you cannot check a person’s pulse. A person who is unconscious will mean he/she is either not breathing or not breathing in a normal manner. If the person is breathing strangely, then you’ll know there’s trouble at hand and you will have to get help as soon as you can.
• In the context of the heart-stopping beating completely, you can try CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Bystander CPR

Administering CPR can be intimidating, especially when you have never truly done it before. Bystander CPR is very much similar to traditional CPR except one administers it without formal CPR training. You do not need formal training for the same. But yes, extra classes certainly help.
For a person in the middle of a cardiac arrest, chest compressions can help as against the earlier mouth to mouth resuscitation which is no longer recommended. This will give greater chances in keeping the person’s heart and brain functioning working optimally after a heart attack.

How to perform chest compressions?

Choose the best spot to compress which is at the center of the chest right at the nipple line, place one hand over your other hand and push fast applying pressure on the spot.

• Aim for at least 100-120 compressions per minute.
• You will doubt your expertise, but do not let it hamper your activity, just have faith and continue to press.  Most people have it in them to save a person from a massive heart attack; this statement has been backed by several studies.
Defibrillation
This is again a more advanced procedure and more and more public places have this nearby to aid them in emergency situations.  Automatic external defibrillators (AED) can deliver an electric shock to the heart and can help restore normal rhythm.
The best part of AED is it is a device that provides computerized, step-by-step guidance dictated by a voice enabling the proper working of a machine. If you are near a heart attack victim whose heart has stopped, using an AED machine can literally save a person’s life. After you’ve discharged the defibrillator you can again resort to chest compressions. Bystanders can really make a world of difference in improving the quality of life of a patient.

Start the journey back to Recovery after a Heart Attack

You can slowly but surely get back to recovery, just follow the instructions given by your doctor from the best hospital, change your lifestyle and take the medications as suggested by your doctor.