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There are two good reasons why everybody should know the most basic information about heart attacks. First, odds are high that either you or someone you love will suffer from a heart attack during your lifetime. And second, whether you (or your loved one) survive that heart attack may depend on what you and your doctors do during the first few hours.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI) is the death of the heart muscle, caused by blockage in one of the coronary (heart) arteries. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot forms at the site of an atherosclerotic plaque (fatty deposition) in a coronary artery. The clot blocks the artery, and the blood flow stops. The muscle becomes starved of oxygen and if blood flow is not restored within few hours, the heart muscle dies. Plaque ruptures are the most common cause of heart attacks. Plaque formation (fatty deposition) in the artery wall develops gradually over time and it can start around the age of 20.

Symptoms of heart attack

It is very important to know the symptoms of heart attack because the sooner you recognize them the chances of good recovery are better.

• Pain in the chest or arms and or neck or jaw
• Chest or abdominal pain can come and go or stay constant
• A severe, crushing pain
• A tight, squeezing sensation
• A stabbing or burning sensation that feels like indigestion
• Pain or pressure under the breast bone or in the middle of the back
• Arm pain, which may be soreness or heaviness, that can affect one or both arms, spread from the chest or stay localised in just the shoulder or arm and not affect the chest at all
• A soreness or ache that people may mistake for muscle strain
• Neck or jaw pain can be present as severe pain in jaw, up the neck or even around the ears and constrict sensation in or around the throat

Other heart attack symptoms

Symptoms can occur any time and may or may not be associated by the following:

• Profuse sweating or a cold, clammy sweat
• Nausea and vomiting without warning or burning in the throat
• Shortness of breath
• Palpitations
• Anxiety or feeling of doom
• The skin becomes cool and moist and changes from a pink color to pale or grey

Danger signals

If you suddenly get severe chest pain or any of the symptoms mentioned above, it could be a sign of a blocked coronary artery.

• People with chest pain (angina) should watch out for the following-
• If glyceryl trinitrate (sorbitrate) tablet used to manage the chest pains no longer seems adequate
• If it takes less exertion to bring on pains

Fast action saves lives as first few hours are critical. The first 3-6 hours after the onset of the heart attack are utterly critical. Most of the lethal arrhythmias (rhythm disturbances) seen with acute heart attacks occur during the first few hours. If these arrhythmias occur while the patient is under medical attention, they can always be stopped in time to prevent a catastrophe.

If the artery can be opened within the first few hours after the blockage occurs, much of the dying muscle can be saved, permanent heart damage can be avoided, and the patient’s risk of death and permanent disability can be greatly diminished. But if the treatment is delayed beyond six hours, the amount of heart muscle that can still be saved drops off significantly.

DO’S AND DONT’S DURING A HEART ATTACK

Fast action saves lives — If you or someone you are with begins to have chest discomfort, call emergency or ambulance right away.

DONT’S

1. Wait for more than 5 minutes
2. Panic difficult
3. Hesitate in calling your relatives, friends during odd hours — after all it is question of your life
4. Drive to the hospital yourself because your condition might worsen on the way

DO’S

1. Stay calm
2. Call the doctor or ambulance. Emergency personnel can begin the treatment immediately — even before you arrive at the hospital. Your heart may stop beating during a heart attack. Emergency personnel have the training and equipment to start it beating again. Heart attack patients who arrive by ambulance tend to receive faster treatment on their arrival at the hospital
3. Rest in a chair or lie down Conserve your energy and oxygen, while waiting for an ambulance
4. Unlock your front door so help can come into your house
5. Loosen tight or restrictive clothing
6. Take Sorbitrate 5 mg tablet and keep it below your tongue
7. Chew Aspirin 300 mg tablet — this thins the blood
8. Call relatives, friends or neighbours and ask them to come to your help and wait for an ambulance with you.

Delay can be deadly

Most people who have a heart attack wait too long to seek medical help, and that can be a fatal mistake. Often people wait because they:

• Do not recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and think that what they are feeling is due to something else
• Are afraid or unwilling to admit that their symptoms could be serious
• Are embarrassed about causing a scene, or going to the hospital and finding that it is a false alarm
• Do not understand the importance of getting to the hospital right away

Mission ahead

Make a plan now for what you would do if a heart attack should happen. It will save time and could help save your life or someone else’s. To plan ahead:

• Learn the heart attack warning signs
• Talk to your doctor about heart attack risk and what you can do to reduce it
• Talk with family members, friends or co-workers about the heart attack warning signs and the importance of acting fast
• Explain the benefits of calling an ambulance

You can save a life

A heart attack is a frightening event. However, if you learn the signs of a heart attack and what steps to take, you can save a life; perhaps your own.

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