What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack & How First-Aid Can Help?

A heart attack takes place when your blood vessel supplying the heart get obstructed prompting a deficiency of oxygen to pass to your heart. However, a heart attack is one of the most critical medical emergencies and needs immediate treatment to unblock the artery.

Though a heart attack can prompt a cardiac arrest, but it isn’t the same. A cardiac arrest takes place when your heart unexpectedly stops beating & thus blood stop circulating throughout your body.

It’s essential for first aiders or emergency responders to be able to identify the signs & symptoms of a heart attack, so that they can call for assistance immediately.

The signs & symptoms of a heart attack:

• Relentless central chest ache
• The ache isn’t eased out by taking rest
• Pallor, sweating & nausea
• An irregular pulse
• Breathlessness & anxiety due to the pain
• Gasping for air
• Abrupt collapse
• White skin color & blueness around the lips
• A sense of ‘impending doom’  – “I am going to die”

What to do if you notice someone having a heart attack?

• Start CPR if the sufferer is unconscious: If you are with an individual who might be having a heart attack & he or she’s unconscious, notify the 911 dispatcher. You maybe suggested to start CPR. If you have not received proper CPR training, health-care professionals advise omitting mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing & doing only chest compressions. The 911 dispatcher can guide you about the proper process until assistance arrives.

• Make use of an AED: If an automated external defibrillator is accessible & the person is senseless, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation while the instrument is retrieved & set up. Adjoin the device & pursue instructions that’ll be supplied by the AED following it has assessed the person’s condition.

Get your First Aid Certification online from American Safety Training Institute and be a life saver during a heart attack or other medical emergencies. Take advantages of our 100 years of combined experience in the health and safety training industries. If you have any query, feel free to email us at info@americansti.org.

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