First Aid Tips and Hints - Heart Attack, Resuscitation & Unconsciousness
Accidents and Emergencies do happen and when faced with one, the action you take can make all the difference.
First of all try to keep calm. Assess the situation and make sure that there is no further danger to the casualty, your self or anyone else.
Use bystanders to fetch help and where necessary, get them to call the local emergency services, making sure that they know where you are, can describe what has happened and any injuries that can immediately be identified without moving the patient.
The following advice is of course no substitute for proper medical training and you must always seek professional medical help, but the more you know about first aid, the better you'll be able to manage when faced with a real emergency.
Heart Attack
Chest Pain: A heart attack occurs when the muscle of the heart has an inadequate blood supply. This may be caused by a blood clot blocking a coronary artery. This may cause the muscle to be damaged, or die, or cause interference with the electrical activity of the heart, causing it to stop beating. When the heart stops beating, this is known as cardiac arrest . Damage to the heart muscle is a heart attack .
Warning Signs Of Heart Attack
- The symptoms of heart attack vary, but the most common is a prolonged, oppressive pain or unusual discomfort in the centre of the chest, behind the breastbone.
- The pain may radiate to the shoulder, arm neck, or jaw. Sometimes the symptoms may subside and then return.
- There may also be sweating, weakness, nausea and shortness of breath.
- A heart attack patient may or may not become unconscious.
ALL CASES OF CHEST PAIN SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
If the symptoms occur, an ambulance should be called at once. Telephone your local emergency number and ask for an Ambulance.
If unavailable, the patient should immediately be taken to the nearest hospital. Every minute is vital in cases of suspected heart attack. A patient should not be allowed to drive himself to hospital.
- If the casualty is conscious reassure, gently support with pillows, and place in a half sitting position with knees bent.
- Do not allow the casualty to move unnecessarily as this will put extra strain on the heart.
- Loosen any tight clothing around the neck, chest and waist.
- Treat for Shock.
- Remove to hospital immediately maintaining the treatment position if possible.
- If the patient is unconscious:
- Call your local emergency number and say cardiac emergency first.
- If breathing and heartbeat has stopped, begin the resuscitation immediately.
- Remove to hospital immediately continuing resuscitation on the way, if necessary.
- If the casualty becomes unconscious, but is breathing normally, place in the recovery position.
- Check pulse rate continuously.
Resuscitation
This is not a replacement for a first aid or CPR course. It is simply a quick guide in first aid and CPR techniques. As soon as possible, call a medical professional.
In cases of heart attack, drowning, suffocation, electric shock and overdoses of drugs, either the heart or breathing may stop. This is called cardio-respiratory arrest. ('Cardio' means heart, 'respiratory' means breathing).
In many cases a life can be saved if resuscitation can be performed quickly and correctly. A minority of heart attack cases will actually collapse with a cardio respiratory arrest. But everyone should know the early signs of a heart attack, and have an emergency plan of action.
Common signs of cardio-respiratory arrest:
- Collapse with loss of consciousness.
- Absence of breathing.
- No pulse (carotid).
Unconsciousness
The most common causes of unconsciousness are stroke, epilepsy, drug overdose, head injury, cardiac arrest, poisoning, diabetes and alcohol. There are various levels of unconsciousness. If the person responds to sound and touch, then the state is only light as in a faint. If the level of response is low, then the person is more deeply unconscious. If there is no response at all, then there is a potentially dangerous state. Send for an Ambulance. Dial your local emergency services telephone number.
- If breathing and heartbeat have stopped, begin resuscitation immediately.
- If the casualty is breathing normally, place in the recovery position. But if there is any possibility of spinal injury do not move unless breathing difficulty makes it vital.
- Examine the casualty for causes of unconsciousness. There may be signs of injury such as bleeding or swellings.
- Treat any serious wounds or fractures.
- Look carefully for other clues e.g. glucose tablets could indicate that the casualty suffers from diabetes. Many people with epilepsy haemophilia or diabetes wear an identity bracelet to this effect.
- Cover with a blanket, keep warm and reassure.
- If removal to hospital is delayed check the levels of responsiveness, pulse and breathing every ten minutes, and be ready to give the A-B-C of resuscitation as required.
- Do not give the patient anything to eat or drink.
- Do not leave the patient unattended.
If you are in any doubt or have any concerns about any injury or illness always seek professional medical advice as soon as possible.
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