A heart attack is an emergency medical condition that requires the patient to
be taken to a hospital immediately. In this situation, if the patient does not
receive timely medical help, the risk of death may increase. That is why
doctors advise not to ignore even the smallest symptoms of a heart attack. It
is believed that by seeking immediate medical help, damage to the heart can be
prevented, which can save the patient's life.
First of all, it is very important to understand the symptoms of heart attack.
Its symptoms may vary from one person to another. Also remember that not all
heart attacks start with the sudden chest pains you've often heard about.
Symptoms may begin gradually with mild pain and discomfort. It can happen
while you are resting or being active. How severe they are depends on your
age, gender and medical condition.
The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest discomfort, which feels
like a squeezing pain. It lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes
back. Pain and discomfort that goes beyond your chest to other parts of your
upper body, such as one or both arms or your back, neck, stomach, teeth, and
jaw. Apart from this, the patient may also experience symptoms like cold
sweat, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, anxiety, indigestion, fatigue. Women are
more likely than men to have additional problems such as neck, shoulder, upper
back or abdominal pain.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a heart attack usually causes chest pain that
lasts more than 15 minutes. Some people have mild chest pain, while others
have more-severe pain. The discomfort is usually associated with pressure or
heaviness in the chest, although some people experience no chest pain or
pressure at all. Some people have a sudden heart attack, but many have warning
signs hours or days in advance. In case of a heart attack, you should do the
following immediately.
Call the emergency number
The first thing you should do if someone is having a heart attack is to call
911. If you can't get an ambulance or emergency vehicle to come to you, ask a
neighbor or friend to take you to the nearest hospital. Do not attempt to
drive yourself as your condition may worsen.
Take aspirin
Chew and swallow the aspirin until emergency medical help reaches you. Aspirin
helps prevent clots in your blood. Taking it during a heart attack can reduce
heart damage. Do not take aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin or your
doctor has told you never to take aspirin.
Take nitroglycerin
If your doctor tells you to take Nitroglycerin, use it immediately in such a
situation. If you think you are having a heart attack and your doctor has
already prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed until emergency
medical help arrives.
Use a defibrillator
If the patient is unconscious and you have an automated external defibrillator
(AED) immediately available, follow the device's instructions for using it. It
is usually used when the heart rate increases or decreases due to some reason.
This device has proved to be very beneficial in cases like cardiac arrest and
heart attack.
Give CPR
If the patient is unconscious, start CPR. If the person is not breathing or
has no pulse, start CPR to start blood flow after calling for emergency
medical help. To do this, push hard and fast in the center of the person's
chest. Do this process about 100 to 120 times in a minute.
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Health