Home Emergency Care Topic of the Month

When a medical emergency occurs the City of Waitsburg and its surrounding homes and farms face challenges, as do all rural areas, in EMS response times and transport times to an emergency room. This monthly column, written by former firefighter and paramedic Randy Charles, is aimed at providing area residents, who are faced with a medical or traumatic event, some kind of knowledge and skills that can be utilized to help a stricken individual while waiting for EMS.

OVERVIEW

Everyone has heard the old saying “As serious as a Heart Attack.” One of the reasons we all know it is because heart attacks are indeed serious, this is not news to anyone (hopefully).

This is a fairly short column because, beyond a quick discussion on what causes a heart attack, the main focus is to provide a list of possible symptoms. The key is to recognize when a heart attack MAY be occurring and getting emergency medical attention ASAP!

If in doubt as to whether you or someone else is having a heart attack, err on the side of safety and get immediate medical attention (911)!

CAUSE OF HEART ATTACKS

A heart attack occurs when one or more of the arteries supplying blood to your heart becomes blocked, starving the heart muscle of oxygen and nutrients. This blockage is usually a clot occurring after arterial plaque ruptures and the ensuing clot creates a blockage.

While commonly thought of as something that happens to older people, it can also happen to younger individuals. A secondary cause of heart attacks can be due to spasms of a coronary artery, again shutting down the flow of blood to the heart muscle. These spasms can be caused by tobacco and drug use such as cocaine, and can happen to someone of any age.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK

The indications of a heart attack can vary from person to person. We typically think of someone grabbing their chest, calling out in pain and perhaps collapsing. Chest pain is indeed a common symptom but it is not always present or the only symptom.

Other indications may include:

Pressure, tightness and a sensation of squeezing/aching in your chest and arms. This may spread to your back, neck and jaw.

Nausea, sensation of indigestion or heartburn

Abdominal pain

Cold sweats

Unexplained fatigue

Unexplained shortness of breath

Dizziness

The symptoms can vary between person to person as well as between men and women. It may be that someone has a combination of the above symptoms while other individuals may have only one. This is what makes it difficult knowing if someone is having a heart attack.

REMEMBER: IT IS BETTER TO CALL 911 AND GET TAKEN TO THE ER AND TO FIND OUT THAT YOUR ARE NOT HAVING A HEART ATTACK THEN TO TAKE THE RISK . . . swallow your pride, no one in the ER will think less of you (I promise).

It is also important to know that the symptoms may occur suddenly or over hours and days.

Note: You may also have chest pain upon exertion, but that goes away after you rest. This pain (Angina) is caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to your heart and is an indication of coronary artery disease . . . it’s time to see your doctor.

TREATMENT

CALL 911

UNTIL EMERGENCY HELP ARRIVES

Keep the person calm; have them sit or lie down

Loosen any tight clothing

If the person is not allergic to aspirin have them chew four “baby” aspirins (it works faster to chew it)

If the person is conscious and has a prescription for nitroglycerin (prescribed for cardiac related heart pain) assist the individual in taking it as prescribed

If they stop breathing then you, or someone qualified, needs to perform immediate and continuous CPR until EMS arrives. If you don’t know how to do CPR call the 911 operator again and have them give you directions, don’t be afraid to try.

SIGNIFICANT THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO

Don’t drive yourself to the ER

Don’t wait to see if the symptoms go away

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

“Time is Muscle.” It is critical to get the individual to the ER as soon as possible. More heart muscle is damaged and chances for survival go down as time passes.