Heart attack first aid Health Article

Definition

A heart attack is a medical emergency.

The average person waits 3 hours before seeking help for symptoms of a heart attack. Many heart attack victims die before they reach a hospital. The sooner someone gets to the emergency room, the better the chance of survival. Prompt medical treatment also reduces the amount of damage done to the heart following an attack.

Alternative Names

First aid - heart attack; First aid - cardiopulmonary arrest; First aid - cardiac arrest

Considerations

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America today.

Causes

A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that carries oxygen to the heart is blocked. The heart muscle becomes starved for oxygen and begins to die. See heart attack for more specific causes.

Symptoms

Heart attacks can cause a wide range of symptoms, from mild to intense. Women, the elderly, and people with diabetes are more likely to have subtle or unusual symptoms.

Symptoms in adults may include:

• Altered mental status, particularly in the elderly
• Chest pain
  • Usually in the center of the chest
  • Lasts for more than a few minutes or comes and goes
  • May feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness
  • Pain may be felt in other areas of the upper body, such as the jaw, shoulder, one or both arms, back, and stomach area
• Cold sweat
• Light-headedness
• Nausea
• Numbness, aching, or tingling in the arm (usually the left arm)
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness or fatigue, particularly in the elderly

Women are more likely than men to have symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, back or jaw pain, and shortness of breath, either alone or with chest pain.

Babies and children may appear limp and unresponsive and may have bluish-colored skin.

First Aid

1. Have the person sit down, rest, and try to keep calm.
2. Loosen any tight clothing.
3. Ask if the person takes any chest pain medication for a known heart condition.
4. Help the person take the medication (usually nitroglycerin, which is placed under the tongue).
5. If the pain does not go away promptly with rest or within 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.
6. If the person is unconscious and unresponsive, call 911 (or your local emergency number), then begin CPR.
7. If an infant or child is unconscious and unresponsive, perform 1 minute of CPR, then call 911.