How To Survive A Heart Attack When Alone?

[Tonto]

Anyone come across this before?
I've just recieved it as a powerpoint slideshow (sorry about the caps, I'm not shouting honest), this is the important bit if anyone wants the original I'll forward it, apparently this was published in N.º 240 OF JOURNAL OF GENERAL HOSPITAL ROCHESTER

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 CONSCIOUS


DO NOT PANIC, BUT START COUGHING REPEATEDLY AND VERY VIGOROUSLY.

A DEEP BREATH SHOULD BE TAKEN BEFORE EACH COUGH, 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.

[MATTBIN]

This has done the rounds before and best described as "Load of Bollox".

Best wishes
Matt

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by MATTBIN

Load of Bollox.

Matt

My thoughts exactly, well lets hope we all have time to think and get out the bit of paper we printed off just in case.

Before anyone thinks I am being harsh, my Mother an ex nurse died of a heart attack at home right in front of me, believe me she didn't have time to think about it.

I often think had I been a diver before that I might have been able to do something, but there is no point in thinking what if now.

[Tonto]

Cheers, pity though it sounded useful to know

[nigelH]

I think the biggest problem is knowing what a heart attack feels like.

I've been to the 'lips going blue and seeing the nursing staff reach for the defib' stage so I'll remember it. However I would never have recognised it if a lot of people weren't pointing it out forcibly at the time.

And apparently it is different for different people so my formula won't work for you.

[MATTBIN]

Originally Posted by Fiona

My thoughts exactly, well lets hope we all have time to think and get out the bit of paper we printed off just in case.

Before anyone thinks I am being harsh, my Mother an ex nurse died of a heart attack at home right in front of me, believe me she didn't have time to think about it.

I often think had I been a diver before that I might have been able to do something, but there is no point in thinking what if now.

Chances are you would have needed a defrib m/c, not something we all carry around with us. CPR is OK but you know what it does - keeps the brain from dying (hopefully) and keeps the organs in a good state so they can be used elsewhere. Sorry if that sounds harsh but its very rare for someone to survive a heart attack without full medical intervention, so Fiona dont beat yourself up over your Mum's death.

Matt

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by MATTBIN

Sorry if that sounds harsh but its very rare for someone to survive a heart attack without full medical intervention, so Fiona dont beat yourself up over your Mum's death.

Matt

No Matt doesn't sounds harsh at all, your quite right and we were told it was massive, so no point in wondering about what ifs.

As Nigel said, he put it better than me do you really know what is happening anyway.

[db8us]

This should be forwarded to the YBOD list !

[Tonto]

Originally Posted by nigelH

I think the biggest problem is knowing what a heart attack feels like.

I've been to the 'lips going blue and seeing the nursing staff reach for the defib' stage so I'll remember it. However I would never have recognised it if a lot of people weren't pointing it out forcibly at the time.

And apparently it is different for different people so my formula won't work for you.

I passed on your post/description a whileback to a friend who'd had a heart attack(s) but ignored them hoping they'd go away, he lost 20%(?) of the heart function and can't dive now (or really - reluctant to put anyone in a position where they have to rescue him)
I'd like to avoid this if it happens and have asked Dr's in the past about such pains in the chest but have only been reassured that its not heart attack and not been given any specific way of telling.

[dlegros]

You can survive minor heart attacks without medical intervention. Otherwise you need thrombolytic therapy (also known as "clot-busters").

Defibrillation is required when the heart is no longer producing a viable output AND is in a rhythm potentially responsive to a shock - only two of the four cardiac arrest rhythms will (NB for the medics out there, I am deliberately excluding peri-arrest dysrrhythmias here).

Mart's piece (so-called "Cough CPR") is true, with certain caveats;
It performs a form of CPR, using the coughing action to increase intrathroacic pressure (like a chest compression, but internally). It has only been demonstrated to be effective under very particular circumstances that render it useless in real life.

For more info see Snopes Urban Legends Reference or for a more medical view see Resuscitation Council UK statement on Cough CPR

Dom