Heart attack is no longer common for old people alone. There are more and more cases of people in their late twenties or even early twenties having heart attack due to myriad of reasons such as stress, obesity and other complications. Knowing the signs of heart attack is important not only for you but also for the ones you love. Heart attack can happen any time and in an instant so you better be aware on how to know that it is already happening, because sometimes, you might think it is just some ordinary pain or discomfort of the body.

One of the most typical warning signs of heart attack is pain. The pain can be felt either on the chest, on upper body or in your stomach. You might even feel pain on all those body parts all at the same time. Chest discomfort or chest pain will feel like a tight pressure or ache. The squeezing or fullness of the chest may last for a few minutes. In some cases, the discomfort will come back a few times during the day. Upper body pain means the discomfort will spread not only to your chest but also to your shoulders, neck, arms, back teeth and jaw. Note that you can have upper body pain without feeling ache on your chest. The stomach pain will more likely feel like heartburn.

Shortness of breath is normal if you undergo heavy physical activity. However, if you suddenly feel shortness of breath without doing something that ordinarily causes it, then you might be experiencing hear attack. Shortness of breath is typically experienced before chest pain but it can also be experienced by itself. Another warning sign of heart attack is anxiety. Again, the feeling of panic attack is normal if you thought of something stressful or if you are in danger. However, if for no apparent reason you suddenly feel anxious, like you are having cold sweats, then heart attack is more or less on its way. Speaking of cold sweats, having cold sweats alone is already a tell tale sign that you are having a heart attack. Lightheadedness, nausea and vomiting are some more warning signs of the deadly heart attack. Lightheadedness means you feel like passing out and nausea is something you experience that makes you sick to your stomach to the point of vomiting.

The symptoms stated here may vary in level of discomfort or pain. Just a word of advice, even if you feel only a little discomfort such as those stated here but with no real reason at all, take it as a warning and call your doctor as soon as possible. Do not wait until the pain escalates. It is also advisable to make sure that you have an AED unit on hand. That way, no matter what happens, the people around you would be able to provide assistance should you suffer from a heart attack. It is also a good idea to undergo a CPR training in any institution in your area.

You are having a wonderful dinner date with your husband. The waiter arrives with the vintage wine and pours it in your glass. Just as you are about to make a toast, your partner suddenly feels severe chest pain signaling the start of a heart attack. What do you do?

Another scenario, you are home alone with  your mom. The two of you are watching TV, laughing at the joke of the actors in your favorite sitcom. You mom is about to stand to get more chips but she stopped on her tracks and complained of shortness of breath and nausea. You think it is heart attack so you let her sit down again. What do you do next?

Knowing what to do during a heart attack is important to save lives, especially those close to you. The very first thing to do is to call 911, your doctor or the police to get some help. Even if the person having a heart attack decides to tough it out, it is your responsibility to inform the authorities. Something bad might happen even if the pain or discomfort being felt is only a mild one. If you do not know what number to call, contact a friend or the neighbor immediately. If you are the one having a heart attack and you decide to rush to the hospital then have someone else drive the car. Do not attempt to drive yourself for it can lead to an accident.

Determine if the person having the heart attack is allergic to aspirin. If you are sure that there is no allergy, then have him or her chew and swallow an aspirin. It will alleviate the discomfort or severe pain being experienced by the person. For those people who have been prescribed with nitroglycerin before, you may take this as well. If your doctor has not yet prescribed you with this, do not take it. You might be allergic to it or your body might react in some other way that will just worsen the situation at hand.

When the person having heart attack suddenly becomes unconscious, CPR is recommended. If you already know how to do it, you can perform it on the person but be sure to inform the 911 dispatcher or any medical specialist you successfully contacted that you are about to do it. If you have not received any training on how to perform the CPR, the 911 dispatcher may just instruct you on how to do the chest compressions and skip the mouth to mouth rescue breathing.

Through all of these, it is vital that you remain calm. Having a panic attack will not help at all in this situation. Keep all of these in mind and you might just save a life. To make sure that your knowledge about CPR does not become rusty, you should practice undergoing CPR training at least once a year. It is also a good idea to ensure that you read up on the latest findings by the AHA on how to carry out chest compressions.

The heart, considered as the strongest muscle in the body. It is one of the few organs that has an electrical system responsible for controlling the heartbeat as well as normalizing the heart rate or the number of times that the heart beats per minute, and the heart rhythm or the synchronized pumping action of the heart. Because of the role it plays, it is of prime importance that the beating pattern of the heart is kept regular. Once the heart encounters a problem with this electrical system, the heart will experience irregular heartbeats that often results in a sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating.

People who suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest can die within minutes from the skip in the heart beat pattern. Because of this, it cannot be denied that most people are unable to provide the right kind of assistance to the patient. This makes it important for everyone to know speedy treatment like the cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR and the use of defibrillator. Defibrillator is a machine that can send electric shocks to the heart to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. In public places like schools, malls and hotels, an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be found and used in times of emergency.

Aside from this, of course, it is more important for people to know the risk factors that could increase the likelihood of an occurrence of a sudden cardiac arrest. These risks include having high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, having diabetes, too much consumption of alcohol, obesity, and drug abuse. Also, people who have a family history of cardio artery disease or heart attack are at risk.

In order to significantly reduce these risks, it is vital to have a healthy and active lifestyle. A healthy diet consists of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains products, foods that are low in sugar, trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Lean meats, fish, beans and low-fat milk are perfect for these criteria. A healthy activity on the other hand includes aerobic physical work out like walking, jogging, running and cycling. Living a sedentary life should be something that you should shy away from. This means, lessen the amount of time you usually spend in front of the TV or the computer.

Getting regular medical check-ups can also decrease the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest. Doctors can give patients customized activities and diet to maintain the ideal weight and live a full but healthy life.

If you are at risk for a heart disease, you need to make sure that the people around you would know what to do. Having an AED unit on hand can be of great help to them especially if they have not had any formal training in proper administration of CPR. An AED can provide them with needed instructions when it comes to determining whether chest compression would suffice, or if there is a need for an application of electrical charge. In most cases, an AED would come with both oral and visual instructions on what needs to be done.

The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, states that, about every 34 seconds, a person suffers from a heart attack, and that is in the United States alone. A heart attack happens when arteries that supply the heart with blood becomes narrow due to a buildup of cholesterol, fat or some other substances. This blood clot prevents the oxygen from flowing, thus creating tissue damage as well as tissue death to the heart muscle. While most people equate heart attack with old age, the truth is, heart attack chooses no age and can be quite fatal. However, many people have come to survive it. One of the factors that increased the likelihood of these people surviving a heart attack is their knowledge of what signs to watch out for.

The Signs

The most common symptoms of heart attack are chest pain and profuse sweating. Keep in mind though that the warning signs could vary from person to person and not everyone will get to experience chess pain. This makes it important to learn the other signs. After all, the main denominator of every heart attack remains to be early treatment to have less damage.

Heart Foundation of Australia has listed more warning signs on heart attack. Aside from the very common sign of pain in the chest, a person may also feel tightness or a crushing sensation in the chest. This may leave a person feeling restless. Other symptoms include pain in the jaw, choking feeling in the neck, discomfort in the shoulders, back pains specifically the portion between the shoulder blades and the feeling of heaviness of the arms. A person may also feel nauseous and dizzy or experience shortness of breath and produce cold sweat.

To make sure that you do not have to go through these symptoms, it is important to have a change in one’s lifestyle. Eating healthy and getting active through physical activities are advisable. Reducing the intake of sugar and controlling cholesterol will prevent clogged arteries; managing blood pressure is beneficial in reducing stress in heart and arteries. If you are the kind of person who cannot resist consuming a stick of cigarette every now and than, consider either turning cold turkey or, at least, minimizing your consumption per day. Keep in mind that most heart attacks take place because the heart is unable to receive the right amount of oxygen.

Being at risk for heart attack is a major issue. That being the case, it is only right that you make sure you, as well as the people around you, have what it takes to deal with any kind of scenario. Some of the things that you should consider would include enrolling yourself or those around you in a CPR training class. Citywide CPR provides such training programs. You should also consider getting your hands on an AED unit. This nifty electronic device works great for those who do not have enough knowledge on how to perform a proper CPR. Most units come with visual as well as oral instructions on what needs to be done. It can also help in determining whether you would need chest compression first or an electric jolt.

The heart may be just as small as the fist, but it is considered to be one of the strongest muscles in the human body. Aside from this, it is also one of the most important organs simply because of the fact that it controls the whole blood circulation. As small as it is, the heart can actually create enough energy to drive a truck for 20 miles, pump 1.5 million barrels of blood during a lifetime, beat 100,000 times a day, and many more. Aside from this, it is only the heart that has a special cluster of self-starting cells. These cells are responsible fro making sure that the heart is able to beat a specific pattern. This makes it even more important for us to make sure that we take good care of the heart to prevent heart diseases.

Regardless of age, the two best ways to prevent a heart disease are being physically active and following a healthy eating habit. To be physically healthy, the human body needs at least 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity like brisk walking or 75 minutes of an intensified aerobic physical activity like running or cycling or a combination of both activities. A muscle-strengthening activity every week is also ideal to have the muscle groups- legs, hips, back, chest, arms, abdomen and shoulders working. This includes activities like push ups, sit ups, and squats. While you’re at it,  you also need to make sure that you keep away from a sedentary way of life. This means limiting the amount of hours you spend in front of the TV as well as the computer.

Aside from having an active lifestyle, the food that people eat plays a vital role in the risk of having heart disease or stroke. A healthy diet contains fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds and fruits and vegetables. It is also advisable to avoid meat as much as possible or take meat only twice or thrice a week. As to dairy products, doctors suggest choosing fat-free and low-fat ones. Likewise, choose foods that are low in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, sugar and trans fat. Now, this does not have to mean that you would be eating bland food your whole life. The secret lies in how you prepare your food. For example, you can top your oatmeal with slices of your favorite fruit. You can prepare a tuna spread which you can put on top of crackers; or you can do canapes with some help from your leftover bread. If you have a sweet tooth, you can turn your favorite fruit into a smoothie and have it chilled.

Although heart diseases can affect anyone regardless of age, older adults are still advised to take extra caution. Some of the steps that you can take in order to better prepare yourself for the worst scenario would be to have a AED unit on hand as well as to undergo CPR training. It will be helpful also to learn the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke to know when to consult a doctor or not. Just as the old adage says, prevention is better than cure.

A heart attack, or what is known as the myocardial infarction in the medical world, takes place when the flow of blood in a person’s heart is blocked with a clot, fat or cholesterol. Once the blood flow is interrupted, the heart muscle becomes damaged due to the lack of oxygen reaching it. What actually happens is that the cells in the heart muscle starts to die due to oxygen starvation. Although heart attack is one of the most common heart diseases and can sometimes be fatal, many people now survive this disease and get to return to active lives again.

Dr. Richard Lee of Harvard Heart Letter said in one of his papers that, during the 1970s, 40% of heart attack victims die from the attack or from further complications. Today, that percentage has been greatly reduced to around 10%. This significant change is attributed to the fact that there have been a number of advances made in drug therapy as well as effective public campaigns and higher awareness. The medical procedure called angioplasty has also gone radical changes that allowed it to better save lives. Of course, it also helps that more and more people have now become aware of the different first aid techniques that they can use while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.

In this time of modern technology and studies, the medical world was able to produce advanced drugs for treating blood-clod in the heart like streptokinase. Drugs like beta blockers and statins have also been shown to protect the heart after a heart attack. This was made apparent after using the said medication in a number of clinical trials.

Information and education campaigns have also made people more aware when it comes to the symptoms and signs not only of heart attack but also of other cardiovascular diseases. Knowing the classical symptoms like severe chest pain and profuse sweating can make people take action right away. Doctors also tend to include in their public campaigns the non-classical symptoms that usually happen to women including nausea, vomiting and shoulder pains.

Once a person feels the symptoms and a doctor confirms the situation, a procedure called angioplasty can be performed right away. This is the process of opening the blocked artery, thus restoring the blood flow. Though this procedure has become available in the 90s, not all hospitals have the equipment to perform angioplasty. Today, a lot of hospitals are now capable with this life-saving procedure along with the other wonders that technology brought to science.

Now, if you or someone you know is at risk for a heart attack, it would be to your advantage to have an AED unit on hand, or at least to learn about how to properly administer, at the very least, chest compression. Citywide CPR is one of the institutions that you can go to if you would like to know how to work your way around an AED unit as well as how to properly conduct a CPR.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, refers to a combination of techniques intended to manually pump the heart to get blood circulating in the body. The aim of doing so is to deliver oxygen to the brain of a person under sudden cardiac arrest until definitive measures are taken to get the heart working again. In most cases, these “definitive measures” are carried out by paramedics or medical professionals in the hospital.

If a person shows no signs of life or a person is unconscious, not breathing or just gasping, a CPR must be performed right away. According to the American Heart Association, if a person is not trained to do CPR, or has had training in the past but is not confident about carrying the whole cycle out, a hands-only CPR will do. Hands-only CPR is an uninterrupted chest compression of 100 a minute until an ambulance arrives. On the other hand, if a person received CPR training and performs CPR regularly, a CPR with 30 compressions can be started before checking the airway and giving rescue breaths. Now, for a chest compression to be effective, it has to be at least an inch deep.

The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, has also crafted an acronym- CAB for people to always remember the procedure of CPR. C stands for Compressions that will restore blood circulation, A is for airway and B is for breathing or breath for the person under cardiac arrest. This was a re-arrangement of the previous A-B-C cycle that most first aiders have come to know about in the past.

Chest compression is done by placing the heel of one hand on the center of a person’s chest, placing the other hand on top of the first hand and pushing straight down the chest for at least 2 inches. It is important to remember to keep the elbows straight and placing the shoulders directly above the hands. The chest compression should also be done in a smoother manner, without the aider jerking on each pump. This is to prevent unnecessary pressure on the ribs of the patient.

In clearing the person’s airway, the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver is done. By putting the palm on a person’s forehead, tilting it back and lifting the chin to forward, the airway is opened. Of course, in some cases, tilting the head and lifting the chin might not be enough. That being the case, you need to make sure that you do an inspection of the throat. Once airway is open, pinch the person’s nostrils and prepare to give a rescue breath. If the chest rises, give a second breath. Repeat the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver. These instructions are not substitute for training, though. It is still best to undergo training to learn CPR and who knows, one might save a life.

If you are interested in knowing how to administer CPR, your best move would be to take advantage of the different CPR training programs currently being offered by Citywide CPR

What is it and what causes it?

Heart attack claims millions of lives all over the globe every year. Myocardial infarction, or commonly known as heart attack, occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked. If this blood flow is not immediately restored, the heart muscle dies, thus causing heart attack. Heart attack is the result of coronary heart disease (CHD), which is characterized by the build up of plaque, a waxy substance, in the coronary arteries. If the plaque ruptures inside the arteries, it can lead to blood clot formation which grows overtime. As it grows, it completely blocks the passage of blood in the coronary artery. The plaque build up may count years so this heart damage may not be obvious at first but could cause long term problems in the future.

What are its symptoms?

Symptoms of heart attack can occur anytime and while some people would just shrug it off and dismiss it as a symptom, it is important to pay attention to it as it can save your life. Even if you are not sure, seek the help of your doctor if ever you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Chest pains are the most indicative symptom of a heart attack. This can be felt as a squeezing, burning, fullness, pressure, or discomfort on the left side of your chest that lasts for a few minutes.
• Shortness of breath is another symptom to look out for. This can occur whether your body is at rest or doing strenuous activities. This could also go along with the chest pains or before it.
• Upper body discomfort is another sign of heart attack. This can be characterized by a feeling of discomfort on your arms, back, shoulders, neck or above the belly button.

Symptoms of heart attack vary from person to person, from mild to severe. Thus, if you are feeling any or a combination of symptoms stated above, it is best to check with a specialist as treatments works best when it is given after a symptom has occurred and can save lives and prevent disabilities.

What do I do?

If you think you or someone you know might be having a heart attack, be alert and do not hesitate to call for help immediately. Call 911 for emergency medical attention. Acting fast can save a life. When it comes to heart attack, time is of the essence which is why CPR or cardio pulmonary resuscitation as first aid is very important if a person might be having a heart attack. While heart attack is the leading cause of death everywhere, many people would have higher chances of survival if they got help faster.

If you are not familiar with how CPR should be administered, your best option would be to make sure that you have an AED unit on hand. An AED unit can help guide you through determining whether a patient is in need of chest compression or the application of electric jolts in order to jump start the heart.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is an important first aid technique that is performed to people whose heartbeat has suddenly stopped or is not breathing properly or at all. The objective of performing CPR is to delay tissue death by keeping the blood and oxygen circulating in the body. This is done when medical response is yet to come.

While there are two forms of CPR, chest compression (also known as hands-only CPR) and rescue breaths (artificial respiration), we are going to focus more on the hands-only CPR as it is the one recommended if the rescuer is untrained or is worried about giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a stranger. CPR through rescue breaths should only be conducted by people who are confident with their CPR skills.

To carry out the chest compression CPR, these are the following procedures:

1. Put your hands together in the way that one of your palms is over the back of your other hand. Interlock your fingers together and put them over the breastbone at the center of the chest of the person you are to conduct CPR to.
2. With your shoulders above your hands and using your body’s weight, press straight down on the person’s chest to 2 inches or 5-6 cm.
3. Perform 100-120 chest compressions per minute on the person.
4. Keep pumping on his chest until an ambulance or medical help has arrived.

Aside from these steps, a person who is left alone with an unresponsive victim who needs CPR and has no further knowledge about proper CPR can seek help from telephone systems. When you call for an ambulance, and while waiting for it to arrive, telephone systems also give basic CPR instructions that you can do to the victim including CPR and other life-saving techniques. The use of an AED can also prove to be helpful in situations like these.

This *case happened to 11-year old Kendall Stilwell in California. When she noticed that her grandmother Rita Lovato was unconscious and not breathing. Scared and not knowing what to do, she immediately called 911. Lovato had a cardiac arrest and no adult was around to perform CPR on her except the 11-year old girl. When Stilwell called for help, the 911 dispatcher on the other line helped calm the little girl down and gave her instructions to help resuscitate her grandmother and assured her that help is on the way. The dispatcher instructed her on how to perform hands-only CPR since she is untrained in CPR, and even helped her in counting the beats for her at the right tempo.

With the help of Stilwell’s composure and the detailed instructions given by the 911 dispatcher, Lovato was able to survive the cardiac arrest. This story proves that knowledge and skills in CPR can go a long way in saving a life. Whether you are medical professional or not, knowing how to conduct CPR is highly indispensable in cases of emergencies. If you are interested in knowing how to conduct CPR properly, you can always enroll yourself in any of the CPR training programs being offered by a number of institutions such as Citywide CPR.

At this day and age, medicine and technology has truly improved in terms of improving the chances of heart attack survival. However, since heart attack usually comes unexpectedly, it is still one of the leading causes of deaths all over the world due to its suddenness. Heart attack chooses no time and place, and so, this is where the importance of CPR knowledge comes in.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, shortly known as CPR, is an emergency procedure which is done to manually preserve blood circulation in the brain, heart, and thus the body. CPR allows for the blood to circulate all over the body and maintain breathing in a person who is experiencing heart attack or unresponsiveness while professional medical help is still not available. Over the years, successful CPR stories have proven over and over again how basic CPR knowledge, alertness, and composure in times of emergency have managed to save many lives.

According to the American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, CPR is one of the links in what is known as the “chain of survival” . The chain of survival is a series of actions that, when performed correctly, can save a person experiencing heart attack. In order to raise the chances of heart attack survival, it is important to know what these links are in the “chain of survival”.

The first one is to recognize when a person is having a heart attack and immediately dialling 911 to get quick help. Next is performing CPR while medical help is not yet available. CPR can be done by putting both hands on top of the victim’s chest and manually pumping blood through the heart in order to keep the blood circulating. This method is also known as chest compression. Another CPR method is the artificial respiration; this is done by exhaling into the victim’s mouth in order to push air into the lungs. Since artificial respiration requires accurately checking pulse, chest compression is recommended to untrained rescuers. The next link of the chain of survival requires the use of defibrillators when available. The last link is the immediate life support care which medications and other advanced breathing devices.

While there are CPR trainings and certifications that can be achieved through accredited institutions for medical professionals, lay persons having the initiative to learn basic CPR can be helpful especially if a family member has a history of cardiac arrest. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year because they suddenly stopped breathing and no one around was there to perform early CPR. Anyone can learn CPR for a loved one in order to have the sufficient knowledge in emergency response.

While television shows and movies portrays effective resuscitation, this can give the general public an unrealistic expectation about CPR and its effectiveness and so it is still important to base one’s knowledge on founded facts and comprehensive training.

If you want to undergo a through CPR training, your best bet would be the CPR training programs currently being offered by Citywide CPR.