Cutting time, saving (heart) muscle ! saving life !!
Most of the time ‘wasted’ before reaching hospital is due to non or mis recognition of heart attack symptoms and reluctance to act fast.
Recognition: How to know it’s coming?
Few heart attacks are sudden and intense — the "Hollywood or Bollywood heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
Chest discomfort : Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest (over an area of the size of your palm) or on either side or both sides of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like ncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Sometimes it is a feeling of “gas”, lump, indigestion or burning in chest like “acidity”. The feeling is different in different people.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Quite a few times, a similar but milder and shorter lasting ‘warning’ discomfort may have occurred few hours or days before the main ‘event’.
The usual reactions to the symptoms are :
· It can’t be me !
· Let’s wait & watch.
· Why disturb others ? (especially if it’s in the middle of the night).
· The discomfort is mild, it can’t be a heart attack.
· We’ll go in the morning.
· Let’s wait for the family doctor or a cardiologist to come home.
NO. Minutes matter! Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out (phone a doctor about your symptoms). Calling a well equipped cardiac ambulance is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. Sometimes, clot dissolving drugs may be given in the ambulance itself which can be highly successful in reducing the damage to heart muscle.
EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped.
However, if you can't access the cardiac ambulance or it will take time to come, have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option. Take a taxi or even an auto rickshaw to the hospital.
Remember, reaching hospital within 1 hour of chest pain and then receiving clot dissolving drugs or emergency angioplasty may mean the difference between life and death or the difference between damage to a large area of heart muscle and minimal or no damage to the heart muscle despite the heart attack.
Finally, please have a health insurance. Unfortunately, many times, it is lacking in people (like the economically disadvantaged) who require it the most .
Most of the time ‘wasted’ before reaching hospital is due to non or mis recognition of heart attack symptoms and reluctance to act fast.
Recognition: How to know it’s coming?
Few heart attacks are sudden and intense — the "Hollywood or Bollywood heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
Chest discomfort : Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest (over an area of the size of your palm) or on either side or both sides of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like ncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Sometimes it is a feeling of “gas”, lump, indigestion or burning in chest like “acidity”. The feeling is different in different people.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Quite a few times, a similar but milder and shorter lasting ‘warning’ discomfort may have occurred few hours or days before the main ‘event’.
The usual reactions to the symptoms are :
· It can’t be me !
· Let’s wait & watch.
· Why disturb others ? (especially if it’s in the middle of the night).
· The discomfort is mild, it can’t be a heart attack.
· We’ll go in the morning.
· Let’s wait for the family doctor or a cardiologist to come home.
NO. Minutes matter! Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out (phone a doctor about your symptoms). Calling a well equipped cardiac ambulance is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. Sometimes, clot dissolving drugs may be given in the ambulance itself which can be highly successful in reducing the damage to heart muscle.
EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped.
However, if you can't access the cardiac ambulance or it will take time to come, have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option. Take a taxi or even an auto rickshaw to the hospital.
Remember, reaching hospital within 1 hour of chest pain and then receiving clot dissolving drugs or emergency angioplasty may mean the difference between life and death or the difference between damage to a large area of heart muscle and minimal or no damage to the heart muscle despite the heart attack.
Finally, please have a health insurance. Unfortunately, many times, it is lacking in people (like the economically disadvantaged) who require it the most .
