In my career as a doctor, I have witnessed countless stressful and critical moments, but few are more pressing than dealing with an acute heart attack. I remember one time, a middle-aged man suddenly collapsed in a shopping mall, and luckily I happened to be at the scene. At that moment, every decision was extremely important, and I immediately jumped into the rescue operation.
The man was pale, sweating profusely, clutching his chest — a typical precursor to a heart attack. I quickly had the people around me call the emergency services and began to perform initial first aid measures in an attempt to stabilize his condition. During the few minutes I waited for the ambulance to arrive, I realized how little the average person knew about first aid for a heart attack. This is not only the responsibility of professional doctors, everyone should have basic first aid knowledge of heart attack, because it is a matter of life.
Early recognition of myocardial infarction
Key symptoms
First, the most common and typical symptom of a myocardial infarction is chest pain. The pain is usually behind the sternum and feels like pressure, squeezing, or weighing, and sometimes it extends to the shoulders, arms, back, and even teeth and jaw. Unlike other types of chest pain, chest pain caused by a heart attack lasts longer, usually more than a few minutes, and may worsen over time.
Dyspnea is also an important warning sign of a heart attack. Patients may experience a sudden shortness of breath without doing any strenuous activity. This is because the heart is impaired and cannot pump blood efficiently, affecting the supply of oxygen.
In addition, a cold sweat is also a sign that should not be ignored. The sudden onset of a large amount of cold sweat for no apparent reason, especially if accompanied by the above symptoms, should cause a high level of vigilance.
How to distinguish a heart attack from other types of chest pain
A key factor that distinguishes myocardial infarction from other types of chest pain is the duration and nature of symptoms. Chest pain in myocardial infarction is usually prolonged and not easily relieved by rest or with common angina medications, such as nitroglycerin.
Chest pain associated with digestive problems such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), often related to diet, may be relieved by changing body position or taking antacid medications.
Finally, chest pain due to musculoskeletal problems often changes with a change in position or the depth of breathing.
Knowing the early recognition of these myocardial infarctions can save lives at critical moments. In the event of a suspected myocardial infarction, you should seek professional medical help immediately and do not hesitate or attempt to self-diagnose.
Initial response in case of emergency
1. Call the emergency services immediately
As a first step, don't hesitate to call your local emergency number immediately. During the call, provide as much detail as possible: the patient's condition, location, whether they have a history of heart disease, etc. Doing so ensures that the ambulance arrives quickly and that the ambulance crew is prepared accordingly in advance.
2. Keep the patient comfortable and quiet
People with a heart attack should immediately stop any activity and find a quiet place to sit or lie down. Avoid moving around because physical activity can increase the burden on the heart and increase heart damage. If the person feels uncomfortable, the head can be raised slightly to help breathe more easily.
3. Give aspirin
If the ambulance has not yet arrived and the patient has no history of aspirin allergy or other contraindications, an adult dose of aspirin (usually 325 mg of nonenteric-coated tablets) may be given to the patient to chew and swallow. Aspirin can prevent platelet aggregation and help slow the formation of blood clots, thereby reducing the burden on the heart.
With these steps, you'll not only be able to effectively respond to an emergency of heart attack, but you'll also be able to minimize heart damage before medical professionals arrive. Remember, a heart attack is a serious health event that requires emergency medical intervention, and following these initial responses can save lives at critical moments.
First aid while waiting for an ambulance
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR):
Judgment awareness: First, safely check if the patient is responding, gently pat the patient on the shoulder and call out their name.
Call for help: If the person is unresponsive, immediately ask someone around you to call the emergency services and look for an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Perform CPR:
Lay the patient flat on a hard plane.
Place the lower half of the patient's chest in the center of the patient's chest, cover the palm of one hand over the palm of the other, and cross the fingers.
Keep your arms straight and press down on your sternum with your body weight to a depth of at least 5 cm and at least 100 times per minute.
Compression is consistent with the time of relaxation, ensuring that the chest can rebound.
Using an automated external defibrillator (AED):
If an AED is available on site, use it immediately.
Turn on the AED and it will guide you on how to operate it by voice.
Electrode patches are applied to the patient's bare right upper chest and left lower chest, respectively.
When the AED analyzes the heart rhythm and prompts to "press the shock button", make sure that no one is around to contact the patient, and then press the button.
Continue as instructed by the AED and proceed with CPR if needed.
Precautions
When performing CPR, if you're not sure where or how hard the pressure is, remember: it's better to do than not to do it well. Incorrect CPR has much smaller consequences than not having CPR.
Stay calm and follow the instructions of the ambulance crew. They may give you further instructions over the phone.
With these steps, you can provide vital support to people with a heart attack before a medical professional arrives. These measures can significantly improve patient survival and recovery.