How to survive a heart attack when alone.

I received this in an email and thought it worth sharing.


HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart

attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating

improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only

about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.



However, these victims can help themselves by coughing

repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should

be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep

and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep

inside the chest.



A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two

seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until

the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

I received this in an email and thought it worth sharing..

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing

movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood

circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also

helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart

attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many

other people as possible about this. It could save

their lives!!

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

Carole the above advice comes with a warning...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/coughcpr.asp

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

Oh and there was I thinking this is so easy to remember..

I shouldn't have posted it.

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

10 seconds?..sheesh!!...My Daughter's forever telling Me to have the mob' on Me at all times..but..it's more than likely to be at the bottom of a hand/shopping bag or in a coat pocket for days on end,...so if it happens when I'm tending the onions/leeks at the bottom of the garden,.. I'm done for...come to think of it ..not a bad way to go..quick and all over in seconds

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

After two heart attacks I'm getting quite good at surviving - with the help of my O/H though.
But an interesting piece of advice I received from a friend (who is a male nurse) is to carry a couple of emergency aspirins around with you. Not the small 75mg ones that you take every day, but the full strength ones (I think they are 300mg each) because the first thing the paramedic did on both occasions was to administer same.
They will thin the blood and help the heart to regain its rhythm.

Incidentally, the male nurse I mentioned earlier had also suffered a heart attack, hence the advice. Better keep them close though if you've only got ten seconds.
During my first (and worst) heart attack it was about ten minutes before I finally passed out, but being as it came 'out of the blue' I was in denial for the first five minutes. Now I know the symptoms I would respond quicker next time....Assuming there is a next time.

Thanks for the advice though Carol, I think it would be best to try any method you can think of if you are by your self, after all, what's the alternative?

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

That e-mail above has been doing the rounds for a while now.........but you are right OGF about the Asprin.

The first thing to do if you think you're having a heart attack is to phone 999 immediately for an ambulance.

You should then sit and rest while you wait for the ambulance to arrive, do not get up and look around for an aspirin as this may put unnecessary strain on your heart.

If you are not allergic to aspirin and have some next to you, or if there is someone with you who can fetch them for you, chew one adult aspirin tablet (300mg), however, if they are not nearby, the person should stay with you until help arrives.

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

This time the paramedic put an Isosorbide tablet under my tongue first and let it dissolve.
The OP was with good intentions, but very few survive cardiac arrest away from a hospital only 10% survive.
I will explain what happened to me incase you recognise the symptoms, one minute I am fine then gradually I lose my breath and it is fast, my wife rang 999 10 minutes later I was gasping for breath.
By the way I have never had heart pain in 4 attacks.

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

I'm so glad You Guys survived Your heart attacks,and that You were lucky enough to have Someone there when it happened...but for those older Folks like Me who live totally alone..We would just have no chance of surviving..I just do My best to stay as fit and healthy as I can and hope for the best

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

A fall alarm is your best chance May, it will automatically dial 999

http://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/scenario.php?csid=12

Re: How to survive a heart attack when alone.

Thanks Wrinkly,but I don't think I would qualify for one as I'm pretty fit n healthy and refuse to admit I'm old,heh heh...BUT something to think about in the future.x