Heart Attack Procedure - Not A Joke.

My family has a history of heart failure, so this is very good to know. Thanks Joe! I'll buy you some Castle Forbes if it saves my life some day

Scary but useful.

Joe, thanks for the post, I think it's so common to worry about heart attacks in others and forget about how to protect yourself.

But I have one thing, I'm always weary about forwards, since I used to read them, tell everyone just to realize I'd been douped. Would any of the physicians here like to chime in?

Joe, I don't mean sound to ingratious, this is a great thread and I'm glad you brought it to our attention. Thank you.

I am not a physician but I am a certified Red Cross instructor in first aid and cpr with an aed and the information provided above is correct. We teach this on a regular basis and make a point of telling the females in class that they should not just look for the pain in the left arm( which mainly manifests itself in men) so that they will pay attention to other symptoms. It could show as pain in the shoulder or it may radiate down the right arm.

In fact, the key here is the amount of different symptoms that occur. Pain in the chest area, along with pressure, feeling of tiredness, shortness of breath, sweating are definite signs when taken together. Not everyone will have all the classic symptoms- but they will exhibit some of them. In the majority of cases, you will know the person having a heart attack(myocardial infarction) and you will be able to recognize that something is not right with them. Also, these symptoms can manifest themselves throughout the day- so if they are seen, call the doctor!

So pay close attention to yourselves and if someone around you appears to have 2-3 of these signs, call the doctor if you are not sure- let him make the decision as to the next step(thats why they get paid the big bucks)

If you are home alone, call 911 on a land line(do not hang up in case you pass out), go to your front door,open it( much easier for rescuers to come in than break it in), and stay there in sight of it(do you really want them to have to look for you?). Deep coughing may help( we do not teach this), but getting rescuers on the scene quickly is best(for every minute that passes by, chances of survival are reduced by 10%) for the person undergoing this traumatic experience.

Early recognition,access, and treatment are the keys to survivng a heart attack. Seeing as how most wetshavers get into the habit of paying attention to themselves closely , here's to good health to all of you.

Marty

Luckily, my father was in a first aid seminar at work, which happened to have just gone over heart attacks when he had one about six years ago. It was acutally just starting, and he got to a hospital even before the actual attack even happened.

When my husband had his first heart attack in 1986, he said it felt like an elephant was standing on his chest. The crushing pain was accompanied by profuse sweating and nausea. He was in a very small town on a fishing trip vacation that didn't have quality medical facilities. The diagnosis was a gall bladder attack. He had several more MI's in the time period to a large city and suffered major unsurvivable damage to the right atrium. It's a long story but he survived almost 20 more years with a transplant. His thoracic surgeon, one of the top ten in the country at that time, said the forties are treacherous years for men.

I was with my father when he had a heart attack. He had no chest pain but profuse sweating and slight pain in his arm. When I called rescue, he denied he could be having a MI and he was an experienced EMT. Initislly he was quite upset with me. Make that call anyway.

I am unsure if this is a fact, but more men than women will survive the first heart attack due to the symptoms are not as well known resulting in delay.

If in any doubt get to the ER immediately, preferable by ambulance. They have the equipment to help you. They'd rather send you home having made a mistake than the alternative.
Sue

I saw this about a year ago online & I talked to my doctor, a cardiologist, about this procedure and he told me, rather emphatically, that is a total crock. He also said that you're much more likely to harm yourself doing this if you actually are having a heart attack. But he also said that this could be even more dangerous if you are NOT having a heart attack and you do this.

It's also proved false by snopes..

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

Justso said:

I saw this about a year ago online & I talked to my doctor, a cardiologist, about this procedure and he told me, rather emphatically, that is a total crock. He also said that you're much more likely to harm yourself doing this if you actually are having a heart attack. But he also said that this could be even more dangerous if you are NOT having a heart attack and you do this.

It's also proved false by snopes..

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

Click to expand...

That's the thing I hate so much about forwards, you never know what to believe. Some people say it could save your life and other's say it could kill you.

Internet hoax-urban legend

Along with a similar email that tells you after you take an aspirin but to never lie down and then to "call a trusted nearby neighbor or family member".

Why on earth would you waste time calling a "trusted nearby neighbor" when you should be calling the paramedics?

As far as "never lie down" a heart attack victim can pretty much assume any position they find comfortable.

NEVER, EVER drive yourself to a hospital if you think you're suffering a heart attack. That's what EMS is for. A family friend died this way by refusing to call 9-1-1 and attempted to drive herself to the emergency room. The drive was approximately 6 miles. She drove a little over a mile before she died and crashed her car into a ditch.

I look forward to the next update in another five and a half years.

The Pontificator said:

NEVER, EVER drive yourself to a hospital if you think you're suffering a heart attack. That's what EMS is for. A family friend died this way by refusing to call 9-1-1 and attempted to drive herself to the emergency room. The drive was approximately 6 miles. She drove a little over a mile before she died and crashed her car into a ditch.

Click to expand...

Holy ancient thread revival Batman!

But in all seriousness it could depend on the area you live in as well, my mother lived within the city limits and within 5-10 miles of two EMS stations and within 2 miles of a hospital, when she had a stroke it took them 20 minutes to get there (it took me 10 minutes) and then they drove at a leisurely pace to the hospital while I followed behind, they made one wrong turn into an abandoned factory parking lot that required a complete 360 degree circuit around the premises to get back out onto the highway. By the time they got her to the hospital 50 minutes had passed since the initial call, luckily it was her first TIA or "mini-stroke" and she survived. She had many more strokes over the year following that and we never called EMS again, I just took her myself and always had her there within 10-15 minutes. I do agree though, no one should drive themselves!

Why revive a thread if you are not going to add any new information, and just repeat what one the previous posters already pointed out?

Hey, no problem at all reviving a thread. I for one never saw the original thread. Any info. on such a serious matter is appreciated. Thanks for posting.

It's ok. He's just Pontificating

It ain't just us old guys who have heart attacks!
Thanks for the revival
Tom

this is great, I am 27 and am suspected to have had a heart attack a year ago, I am too stuborn and waited 3 days to go to the doctors so there was little they could find out.. i did get in a lot of poop from the doc though

The only reason I replied to (and resurrected ) this thread is that from time to time someone forwards me an email with the very same erroneous info....or the one about not lying down...or a combo of both.

the information in the email is wrong and it could kill you.

As being a Medic-EMT for many years, and as a 911 dispatcher, if you are alone, dial 911 immediately. Get help coming to u, don't try to seek out the hospital yourself. We are a mobile ED with all the tools and medicines to help, and have seen and dealt with the worst MI's one could imagine. Also, chewing aspirin is one of the key early medicinal treatments that can be done. Either chewing a full adult 325mg asa, or chewing 4 x 81mg Asa. Chewing is essential, or dissolving under the tongue. If you feel faint, or like u will pass out while ingesting the aspirin, then don't take them. Also any known allergies or internal bleeding problems should also avoid aspirin. Good luck making it to the cath lab!

Joe:
Great info that all persons regardless of age need to know.

I wish I knew this when I suffered my heart attack (and got 2 stents implanted), last April. My begining symptoms was mild 'heart burn' which slowly morphed into extricating left arm & chest pain, intense sweating, shortness of breath and lost of mobile (arms & legs), & speech functions.

"Laughter is the best medicine". Unknown Author