Know First Aid for a Heart Attack to Save Lives

The difference in the arrival of help in a matter of seconds can determine a person's life and death. This is why heart attack first aid techniques are very important to master, especially for those who are often close to people with heart disease. A heart attack is an emergency media condition where there is disconnection or stopping the flow of blood that carries oxygen to the heart. This condition can damage the heart muscle because it does not get oxygen supply, and can cause death.The sooner the patient arrives at the hospital, the greater his life expectancy and the risk of heart damage decreases. In many cases, heart attack sufferers get help late and die before arriving at the hospital. The average patient waits for three hours or more before finally seeking help to deal with an emerging heart attack.

Recognize Symptoms Quickly

Symptoms of a heart attack differ for each person, depending on age, sex, and severity. Diabetics, women and the elderly can have symptoms that are different from general. To provide first aid in a heart attack, recognize the signs that indicate someone has had an attack.

• Chest pain, pressure, or tightness for several minutes, persist or disappear. This pain is motivated by a blockage in blood flow to the heart muscle.
• Chest pain can spread to the arms, left shoulders, back, neck, jaw, sternum, and upper body.
• Nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and digestive disorders.
• The body feels very weak and dizzy.
• Cold sweat came out.
• Hard to breathe.
• Fast or irregular heartbeat.
• There is a change in mental status.

If you yourself have a heart attack, avoid driving your own vehicle to the hospital. Ask someone else or call an ambulance to take you.

How to Provide Relief

It is important to know first aid for a heart attack. If someone suddenly has a heart attack, the first thing to do is:

• The patient must sit down and try to remain calm. He can sit on a chair, on the floor, or lean against a wall. Sitting on the floor makes them less at risk of injury if they faint.
• Loosen all clothes.
• If you have previously been prescribed a drug nitroglycerin beforehand, give it immediately. The way to give it is by placing the tablet under the tongue.
• If the patient has no history of bleeding or allergy, the patient can be given aspirin 325 mg to chew. Avoid giving anything by mouth, except nitroglycerin or other drugs that have been prescribed before.
• Contact the ER immediately or the closest hospital.
• Immediately perform CPR (cardiac pulmonary resuscitation) after contacting the ER, if the patient is unconscious or not responding. Perform CPR for one minute before contacting the ER if the patient is a toddler or a child.
• Call the nearest help if you feel panicked. But never leave a patient alone.
• Give positive persuasion while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
• Do not wait for symptoms to pass to call for help. Also do not persuade patients to assume that the symptoms are normal.

At the hospital, the ER doctor will check and run tests such as blood tests to monitor heart enzymes, chest X-rays, and electrogardiogram (ECG) to find out whether chest pain is really caused by heart disease or other diseases. Heart attack sufferers should immediately get help as soon as possible in the hospital within 90-120 minutes or 2 hours after symptoms appear. Help at the hospital as early as possible to improve heart blood flow can be done with a PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) or angioplasty procedure. To prevent a heart attack, people with heart disease must stop smoking or consume alcoholic beverages, and keep their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol normal. It is important to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly, and to maintain a normal weight.