Chest pain — how not to miss the time?
Acute heart attack is one of the main causes of premature death. The problem is that to save a patient with a heart attack, it is extremely important to recognize this disease as early as possible, properly provide first aid, call doctors and quickly deliver the patient to the hospital. And this does not always happen. What signs indicate this disease and how to provide first aid?
How to recognize a heart attack?
The clinical manifestations of a heart attack are many, but most often it occurs quite typically. Therefore, not only doctors, but also people far from medicine can very reasonably suspect it. The most characteristic sign of a heart attack is a pressing pain that patients usually feel in the middle of the chest. Some patients describe it not as pain itself, but as a strong heaviness or compression behind the sternum. Anyone who has ever experienced this feeling will not confuse it with anything else. This pain can be transmitted to the left shoulder or to the left elbow, to the throat, and sometimes to the epigastric region.
There are other more rare clinical manifestations of myocardial infarction, but in these cases it is difficult for a non-doctor to navigate them. For example, a heart attack is often mistaken for some stomach problems, especially when the clinical picture is accompanied by general weakness, sweating and vomiting. There are many nuances. The most important thing for every person is to know, at least, about the main symptom of a heart attack — pressing chest pain.
What should be done urgently in case of a heart attack?
To understand what to do, you need to know — at the heart of a myocardial infarction is a sharp lack of oxygen due to a blockage of the coronary artery. This affects the heart muscle, which can not live long without oxygen. Therefore, the account is not even for hours, but for minutes. The time factor in heart attack determines the tactics of the patient's behavior, providing him with emergency care and further treatment in the hospital.
If there are signs of a heart attack, you should, if possible, take a nitroglycerin tablet or use a nitroglycerin spray. Moreover, the tablet should be absorbed under the tongue — so the drug begins to act faster. At the same time, it should be remembered that nitroglycerin has a powerful vasodilating effect, so after taking it, blood pressure can sharply decrease. Some patients may feel dizzy, and sometimes even briefly lose consciousness. Therefore, it is better to take the medicine sitting or lying down, so that the phenomena associated with the expansion of blood vessels and a decrease in pressure are easier to bear.
In any case, regardless of whether there is nitroglycerin at hand or not, it is necessary to seek emergency medical care as soon as possible. Time is the key factor in this case.
For how long can a person who has had an acute heart attack be helped most effectively?
In acute coronary insufficiency, the situation develops so quickly that sometimes a fatal outcome, unfortunately, occurs in just a few minutes. If the patient gets to the intensive care unit on time, at least for two hours, and the ambulance is already such a place, then his chances are greatly increased.
Patients often delay the request for help themselves. Typical example: a person has a pressing pain behind the sternum at night, and he first tries to overcome it himself — opens the window, thinks about what medicine to take, whether to wake up relatives or go to the ambulance. As a result, only an hour later he calls the doctors, but the ambulance dispatcher also needs time to understand what is happening and pass the call. The ambulance team also needs to get there and ask the patient a number of questions. With all this, the chances of continuing life are lost by the minute.
If you seek help in time, then a heart attack or what precedes it will pass with the least losses. The time limit is very tight, so the pre-hospital stage for patients with a heart attack is crucial.
If you suspect a heart attack or a person who is near you, immediately call the doctors. If you see a person lying on the street, do not immediately think that he is drunk — come and find out what is wrong. Do not be indifferent and become more attentive to your health!
Chief Freelance cardiologist,
health departments of the Lipetsk region,
Gindler Anna Igorevna
