Heart Attack
We were called to a home at 2:00 a.m. A little girl answered the door and led us upstairs. Her Dad was on the floor and her Mom was doing CPR. We did everything we could, but the man died. I will never forget that little girl’s fright and I still think how much her life will have changed. This may have been prevented – the man had been complaining of chest pain since 10:00 p.m. the night before.
Many people who go into
cardiac arrest have had warning signs such as chest pain – often for hours.
Even if Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is started immediately, once you are in
cardiac arrest your chances of walking out of the hospital are not good.
Early recognition of a heart attack is crucial. The sooner you realize you are having a problem and the sooner you seek medical aid, the better your chances.
You
do not have to be old to have a heart attack! I seem to be attending more
and more people who are in their thirties and early forties.
·
Like any other muscle, the heart needs oxygen to survive. Oxygen is
supplied through the blood, which is carried to the heart via the arteries.
Many people have a fatty buildup inside the arteries that restricts blood flow.
When the supply of oxygen is impaired or stopped, part of the heart will die
and the person will suffer a heart attack.
·
If enough of the heart muscle dies, or if there are other problems, the
heart may stop. This is called cardiac arrest. When this happens, the heart no
longer beats effectively. Death follows quickly unless Cardio Pulmonary
Resuscitation and Advanced Life Support are quickly provided. The trick is to
get to a hospital before you go into cardiac arrest.
You may have a crushing or
squeezing pain, usually in the center of your chest under your breastbone
(sternum). This pain may be very severe or very mild, and it may radiate into
the jaw, neck or arms (often the left arm).
The pain may start without
any physical exertion. You do not have to be outside shoveling the snow in
order to suffer a heart attack.
I have attended more people who have had heart attacks when they were watching television or sleeping then when they were shoveling the snow.
The person may feel very
weak and tired.
The victim’s skin may be
slightly moist of even very sweaty while still cool to the touch – a very
unnatural situation. The person may also have very pale or an ashen gray skin,
and look extremely sick. However, it is not unusual for a heart attack victim
to look and feel normal.
The person may have vomited
or feel like vomiting.
When a person is having a
heart attack they may have difficulty breathing. In some cases with certain
heart conditions, a fluid may back up into their lungs, making it extremely
hard for the person to breathe. In some cases the person may even cough up
frothy sputum that also may be tinged with blood. This is extremely serious.
As mentioned in the opening
story, many people wait too long to seek medical aid. They deny that they are
having a heart attack, even when they have all the signs and symptoms. This is
a big mistake – a mistake that can kill you. If you are with a person who is
having the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, don’t let them talk you out of
calling an ambulance. Try your best to convince the victim to seek medical aid.
Copyright 1997 Safety Health
Publishing Inc.
Martin Lesperance is a fire fighter/paramedic and is the author of the
best selling book “I Won’t be in to Work Today – Preventing Injuries at Home,
Work and Play”. Martin delivers keynote presentations dealing with injury
prevention. His talks are funny, but still have a strong underlying message.
Visit his website at www.safete.com