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Home / what to do when someones having a heart attack

what to do when someones having a heart attack

Overview

A eye attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is near often a buildup of fatty, cholesterol and other substances, which form a plaque in the arteries that feed the eye (coronary arteries).

Sometimes, a plaque can rupture and form a clot that blocks claret flow. The interrupted blood flow can impairment or destroy part of the heart musculus.

A centre assail, also called a myocardial infarction, tin be fatal, simply treatment has improved dramatically over the years. It's crucial to telephone call 911 or emergency medical help if you call up you might be having a heart attack.

Symptoms

Mutual eye attack signs and symptoms include:

  • Pressure, tightness, hurting, or a squeezing or aching awareness in your breast or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back
  • Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cold sweat
  • Fatigue
  • Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness

Heart attack symptoms vary

Non all people who have heart attacks take the same symptoms or have the aforementioned severity of symptoms. Some people have mild hurting; others have more astringent pain. Some people take no symptoms. For others, the first sign may be sudden cardiac arrest. However, the more than signs and symptoms you have, the greater the hazard you're having a heart set on.

Some center attacks strike suddenly, simply many people have alarm signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest warning might exist recurrent chest pain or force per unit area (angina) that's triggered by action and relieved by rest. Angina is caused by a temporary decrease in claret flow to the center.

When to see a doc

Act immediately. Some people wait likewise long considering they don't recognize the of import signs and symptoms. Take these steps:

  • Call for emergency medical help. If you lot suspect you're having a heart attack, don't hesitate. Immediately call 911 or your local emergency number. If you lot don't accept access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you lot to the nearest hospital.

    Drive yourself only if there are no other options. Because your status can worsen, driving yourself puts you lot and others at risk.

  • Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed to you by a doctor. Accept information technology every bit instructed while pending emergency aid.

  • Take aspirin, if recommended. Taking aspirin during a eye attack could reduce heart damage by helping to proceed your blood from clotting.

    Aspirin can interact with other medications, however, and then don't take an aspirin unless your doctor or emergency medical personnel recommend it. Don't delay calling 911 to accept an aspirin. Call for emergency aid first.

What to do if you see someone who might be having a middle attack

If you see someone who's unconscious and you believe is having a heart attack, outset phone call for emergency medical assist. Then bank check if the person is breathing and has a pulse. If the person isn't breathing or you lot don't find a pulse, only and so should you lot begin CPR.

Push hard and fast on the person'due south chest in a adequately rapid rhythm — most 100 to 120 compressions a minute.

If yous haven't been trained in CPR, doctors recommend performing only chest compressions. If y'all have been trained in CPR, you tin can go on to opening the airway and rescue breathing.

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Causes

A heart set on occurs when i or more of your coronary arteries becomes blocked. Over time, a buildup of fatty deposits, including cholesterol, form substances chosen plaques, which can narrow the arteries (atherosclerosis). This condition, called coronary artery disease, causes about center attacks.

During a heart attack, a plaque can rupture and spill cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream. A blood clot forms at the site of the rupture. If the clot is large, it tin block blood menses through the coronary avenue, starving the heart of oxygen and nutrients (ischemia).

You might accept a complete or partial blockage of the coronary artery.

  • A consummate blockage means you lot've had an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
  • A partial blockage ways you've had a non-ST acme myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Diagnosis and treatment might be unlike depending on which blazon you've had.

Another cause of a heart set on is a spasm of a coronary artery that shuts downwards blood menses to office of the heart musculus. Using tobacco and illicit drugs, such as cocaine, can cause a life-threatening spasm.

Infection with COVID-19 besides may damage your heart in ways that effect in a heart set on.

Risk factors

Certain factors contribute to the unwanted buildup of fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) that narrows arteries throughout your body. You can improve or eliminate many of these hazard factors to reduce your chances of having a starting time or another heart attack.

Middle attack risk factors include:

  • Age. Men age 45 or older and women historic period 55 or older are more likely to have a eye attack than are younger men and women.
  • Tobacco. This includes smoking and long-term exposure to secondhand smoke.
  • High blood pressure. Over time, loftier blood pressure tin damage arteries that lead to your heart. Loftier blood pressure that occurs with other conditions, such as obesity, high cholesterol or diabetes, increases your risk even more.
  • High claret cholesterol or triglyceride levels. A loftier level of depression-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) is nearly likely to narrow arteries. A high level of triglycerides, a blazon of blood fat related to your diet, besides increases your run a risk of a middle attack. Nevertheless, a high level of loftier-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ("practiced" cholesterol) may lower your risk.
  • Obesity. Obesity is linked with high blood cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, high claret force per unit area and diabetes. Losing simply ten% of your torso weight tin lower this risk.
  • Diabetes. Not producing enough of a hormone secreted by your pancreas (insulin) or not responding to insulin properly causes your body's blood carbohydrate levels to rise, increasing your take a chance of a middle attack.
  • Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome occurs when y'all have obesity, loftier blood pressure and high blood sugar. Having metabolic syndrome makes you twice as likely to develop center disease than if y'all don't have it.
  • Family history of centre attacks. If your siblings, parents or grandparents accept had early on heart attacks (by age 55 for males and by age 65 for females), you might be at increased risk.
  • Lack of physical action. Being inactive contributes to high blood cholesterol levels and obesity. People who do regularly accept better heart health, including lower blood pressure level.
  • Stress. Y'all might answer to stress in ways that can increment your risk of a centre assail.
  • Illicit drug use. Using stimulant drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can trigger a spasm of your coronary arteries that tin can cause a heart attack.
  • A history of preeclampsia. This condition causes high claret pressure during pregnancy and increases the lifetime risk of heart disease.
  • An autoimmune status. Having a status such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus tin can increase your risk of a eye assault.

Complications

Complications are often related to the harm done to your heart during a heart attack, which tin can lead to:

  • Aberrant middle rhythms (arrhythmias). Electrical "short circuits" can develop, resulting in aberrant heart rhythms, some of which can be serious, and may lead to death.
  • Centre failure. A center set on might damage so much heart tissue that the remaining heart muscle can't pump enough claret out of your heart. Eye failure tin can be temporary, or it can exist a chronic condition resulting from extensive and permanent damage to your heart.
  • Sudden cardiac arrest. Without warning, your heart stops due to an electrical disturbance that causes an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Middle attacks increase the hazard of sudden cardiac arrest, which can cause death without immediate treatment.

Prevention

It's never too tardily to take steps to prevent a heart attack — even if you've already had one. Here are means to prevent a heart set on.

  • Medications. Taking medications can reduce your risk of a subsequent heart set on and help your damaged heart function better. Continue to take what your doctor prescribes, and inquire your dr. how often you need to be monitored.
  • Lifestyle factors. You know the drill: Maintain a good for you weight with a heart-healthy diet, don't smoke, do regularly, manage stress and command atmospheric condition that can lead to a heart assail, such as loftier blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

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Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20373106