How to Survive a Heart Attack When You're Alone

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How to Survive a Heart Attack When You're Alone
How to Survive a Heart Attack When You're Alone

Video: How to Survive a Heart Attack When You're Alone

Video: How to Survive a Heart Attack When You're Alone
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Heart attacks often occur when people are alone, and knowing what to do when symptoms of a heart attack occur can save your life. Keep reading this article for more information.

Step

Part 1 of 3: Know the Warning Signs

Step 1. Know the most common symptoms

The most obvious and most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort, but there are other typical symptoms you should be aware of as well.

  • Chest discomfort usually occurs in the center of the chest. This discomfort can also be described as a feeling of heaviness in the chest, tightness, pressure, pain, burning, numbness, a feeling of fullness in the chest, or like being crushed/squeezed, and the pain may last for a few minutes or may also go away. and reappear. Sometimes people mistake it for indigestion or heartburn (a burning feeling in the chest due to stomach acid rising up into the esophagus).

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 1 Bullet1
  • You may also experience pain or discomfort in other parts of your upper body, including your arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

  • Other symptoms associated with a heart attack include:

    • Difficulty breathing
    • Sweating or "cold" sweats
    • Feelings of fullness, indigestion, or choking
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • Dizziness, dizziness, extreme physical weakness, or extreme anxiety
    • Fast and irregular heartbeat

Step 2. Please note that the symptoms in women can be different

Although women often experience chest pain and other common heart attack symptoms, they are also more likely to experience less common heart attack symptoms.

  • These symptoms include:

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 2 Bullet1
    • Pain in the upper back or in the shoulders
    • Jaw pain or pain that radiates to the jaw
    • Pain that radiates to the arm
    • Unusual fatigue for days
    • Hard to sleep
  • About 78 percent of women with heart attacks experienced at least one other common or unusual symptom for more than one month before the heart attack occurred.
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 3
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 3

Step 3. Don't underestimate your symptoms

Often people think a heart attack is dramatic and instantaneous, when in fact most heart attacks are mild and can last for an hour or more. However, minor heart attacks can be just as serious. Therefore, if you experience any of the symptoms described above for 5 minutes or more, you must take measures to ensure the safety of your life.

  • You should try to get treatment for your heart attack within the first hour of the initial symptoms. If you wait longer than 1 hour, it will be harder for your heart to repair the damage. The main goal is to have the narrowed artery open again within 90 minutes to minimize the damage as much as possible.
  • Often people wait to seek treatment because their symptoms are different than they thought or because they think the symptoms are related to another health problem. People may also delay treatment because they are young and doubt that a heart attack will happen to them or because they deny their symptoms are serious and try to prevent the embarrassment of going to the hospital because of a "false alarm.""

Part 2 of 3: Take Action

Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 4
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 4

Step 1. Call 1-1-2 immediately

The most important thing to do when you think you are having a heart attack is to call emergency medical services.

  • Always call 1-1-2 before you call anyone else. This is usually the quickest way to get treatment, and even if you live in an area where ambulances may be difficult to reach, the 1-1-2 operator can provide instructions on how to minimize the damage from a heart attack.
  • Emergency help will start providing treatment as soon as they arrive, which is why calling 1-1-2 is a better option than calling a friend or relative for help.
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 5
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 5

Step 2. Consider calling someone to come right away

If you have a trusted neighbor or relative living near you, make another phone call to ask that person to come see you. Having someone else nearby can be very helpful if you suddenly have a cardiac arrest.

  • You should only do this if your operator 1-1-2 allows you to hang up or if you have a second line to work with while the operator stays connected on the first line.
  • Don't rely on someone else to get you to the hospital unless asked by the operator 1-1-2. Wait for emergency paramedics to appear.
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 6
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 6

Step 3. Chew an aspirin

Chew and swallow 1 tablet of 325 mg non-enteric coated aspirin. This is most effective if done within 30 minutes of the first symptoms occurring.

  • Aspirin inhibits platelets, which are the main component in the formation of blood clots. Taking aspirin can delay the formation of blood clots which can then block your arteries during a heart attack.
  • Do not use enteric-coated tablets as they are absorbed too slowly and therefore do not provide much benefit.

  • Chew the aspirin before swallowing it. By chewing aspirin, you swallow the drug in larger form directly into the stomach and accelerate its absorption into the bloodstream.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 6Bullet3

  • If you are taking medicines that should not be taken with aspirin or if your doctor has told you that you should not take aspirin, then do not do this treatment.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 6Bullet4
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Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 7

Step 4. Don't trying to drive a vehicle. Self-driving to the hospital is not recommended, and if you begin to experience symptoms of a heart attack while behind the wheel, you should immediately pull over to the side of the road.

  • The only reason you should consider driving yourself to the hospital is if all options have been thoroughly explored and it seems that driving yourself to the hospital is the only way for you to get emergency medical care.

  • If you're having a full-blown heart attack, you're more likely to eventually pass out. This is the main reason why driving while having a heart attack is not recommended.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 7 Bullet2

Step 5. Stay calm

As terrible as the heart attack itself is, rushing or putting yourself in a state of panic can make the problem worse. Calm yourself as much as possible to keep your heart rate steady and calm.

  • To calm yourself down, think of a calming memory and make sure you've familiarized yourself with what needs to be done and that help is on the way.

  • Do the math as a way to slow down your heart rate. Make sure you count slowly, and use the standard one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand… method of counting.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 8Bullet2
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 9
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 9

Step 6. Lie down

Lie on your back and lift your legs up. This position will open the diaphragm, making it easier for you to breathe and supply oxygen to the blood.

Make this position easier to maintain by propping your feet up on a pillow or other object. You can also lie on the floor with your feet propped up on a sofa or chair

Step 7. Take deep breaths and breathe steadily

Although it's your natural instinct to breathe fast when you're having a heart attack, the best way to maintain oxygen supply to your blood and heart is to breathe slowly and deeply.

  • Consider lying down in front of an open window, open door, fan, or air conditioner. Getting a consistent flow of fresh air can help supply oxygen to your heart.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 10 Bullet1

Step 8. Don't trying to do "cough CPR" For a while, there's been an internet hoax going on that you can survive a heart attack on your own by coughing in some way. This method is unlikely to work, and worse, trying these techniques could even put you in even worse danger.

  • Cough CPR is used in hospitals in patients who are about to have a full-blown heart attack. In addition, this technique should only be performed under strict supervision and instructions from a doctor.

  • Trying this procedure on your own could result in you inadvertently interrupting your heart rhythm and making it more difficult for you to get oxygen into your blood than it would be easier for you.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 11 Bullet2
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Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 12

Step 9. Avoid food and drink

Eating and drinking may be the last thing on your mind when you have a heart attack, but it's worth remembering that you should avoid food and drink if you want to. The presence of substances other than aspirin in your system can make it more difficult for paramedics to provide adequate treatment.

If necessary, you can drink a little water to help the aspirin get into your system, but this should be avoided if possible

Part 3 of 3: Following up

Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 13
Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 13

Step 1. Talk to your doctor about what to do next

Having a heart attack once increases your risk of having a heart attack later in life. While you are surviving your current heart attack, you should talk to your doctor to discuss ways to increase your chances of survival if you should have another heart attack.

  • Your doctor may prescribe certain medications to treat underlying heart problems. For example, he or she may give nitroglycerin to help widen blood vessels and reduce pressure on the arteries. He will also try beta drugs (beta blockers), which work by blocking the hormone responsible for triggering the stress response in the heart and the cardio tissue around it.

  • Your doctor can also give you bottled oxygen that you should breathe in when a heart attack occurs.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 13Bullet2
  • In addition to talking about medications, you should also talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk of developing heart disease further through diet, exercise, and lifestyle.
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Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 14

Step 2. Get a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)

A PRESS is an electronic device that you can wear around your neck or tuck in your pocket. You can activate this device when you have a heart attack or other medical emergency and cannot reach the phone to call 1-1-2.

  • Even if you have a PRESS, you should still call 1-1-2 if you can afford it. The PRESS is less reliable than calling 1-1-2 in person, and you may get treatment faster by calling 1-1-2.
  • You should also do thorough research before purchasing a PRESS to determine which one has the best features and renowned reliability.

Step 3. Pack a bag containing "travel supplies"

If you are at risk of having a heart attack in the future, you should have your medicines and emergency contact information in a bag that you can quickly retrieve when you go to the hospital.

Place the bag near the door in an easy-to-find area

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Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 15Bullet1

Step 4. Keep the card containing your medical information in the wallet

This includes doctors, medications with dosages and contact info of the closest people, relatives or caregivers.

  • Put all your regular medications in a bag so that paramedics and doctors know what type of medication you are taking. Also includes a list of doctors and family members who can be contacted in an emergency.

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    Survive a Heart Attack when Alone Step 15Bullet2

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