Every year, millions of people lost their lives in a heart stroke. A heart attack is an emergency medical condition in which the patient needs to be taken to the hospital immediately. In this situation, if the patient does not receive medical assistance on time, the risk of death increases. Doctors, therefore, advise not to ignore even the minor symptoms of a heart attack. If you live with a person who is diagnosed with heart disease, you must know several immediate response mechanisms in case of a heart attack.
Assessment of symptoms:
First of all, it is very important to spot the symptoms of heart attack accurately. However, symptoms may vary from person to person. Remember that not all heart strokes begin with sudden chest pain. Symptoms may start gradually with mild pain and discomfort. These symptoms can appear during the rest as well as during any physical activity.
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One of the most common symptoms of a heart attack is chest discomfort that feels like a squeezing pain. It lasts for more than a few minutes and appears continually. Pain and discomfort traverse beyond your chest to other parts of your upper body, such as one or both arms, or in your back, neck, abdomen, teeth, and jaw. Besides, symptoms such as cold sweat, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, anxiety, indigestion, fatigue may also be felt.
Discomfort is usually associated with pressure or heaviness in the chest, although some people have no chest pain or pressure at all. Some people have a sudden heart attack, but in a majority of the cases, warning signs appear hours or days before. So if any such symptoms appear, you must do the following things immediately
Make an Emergency call
At the very first sign, you should call a medical emergency when someone is experiencing a heart attack. If you cannot get an ambulance or emergency vehicle to come to you, ask a neighbor or friend to take you to the nearest hospital. The condition of the patient may get worse in case of any delay and if you are experiencing this then you must not drive by yourself.
Aspirin is very helpful
The patient must chew an aspirin till the emergency medical reaches. Aspirin helps prevent clotting in your blood. Taking it during a heart attack can reduce heart damage. Do not give aspirin if the patient is allergic to it or the doctor has told to avoid this medicine.
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Use Nitroglycerin
If the doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin before, use it immediately. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator, a medicine that opens blood vessels to improve blood flow. If the symptoms are aggravating then give this to the patient until emergency medical help arrives. This will also reduce the risk of heart failure.
Use a defibrillator
If the patient is unconscious and you have an automated external defibrillator, follow the device’s instructions to use it. It is usually used when for some reason the heartbeat becomes fast or slow. It corrects the arrhythmia through controlled electric shocks. This device has proved to be very beneficial in cases of cardiac arrest.
CPR is very helpful
If the patient is unconscious, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR may bring his consciousness back. If the person isn’t breathing or you are not getting a pulse, start CPR to maintain blood flow after you call for emergency medical help. To do this, push hard and frequently on the centre of the person’s chest. Repeat this about 100 to 120 times per minute.