The incidence of heart attack in Nigeria is put at about 1.5million cases per year. This is quite alarming. If the condition is short term, usually will resolve within days to weeks, but if critical, may require emergency concerted care. But the treatment would often depend on the severity of the condition ranging from a well-coordinated lifestyle changes in individuals prone to obesity and cardiac rehabilitation, medications and bypass surgery. Dr. C. Ugo Ulasi, West African Pilot Medical Correspondent and Analyst explains this subject.
- What is a heart attack?
- How to survive a heart attack when you are alone.
What is a heart attack? (In medical parlance, heart attack is also known as a myocardial infarction).
Heart attack is a medical emergency that simply occurs when there is a blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle. Usually occurring when a blood clot forming in the arteries of the heart blocks blood flow to the heart. Without blood for a significant length of time, our body tissues lose oxygen and die.
The incidence of heart attack in Nigeria is put at about 1.5million cases per year. (Quite alarming?) Yes. As a medical condition, heart attack requires:
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- A medical diagnosis, arising from laboratory tests and often times involving medical imaging.
- Treatment by appropriate medical personnel.
If the condition is short term, usually will resolve within days to weeks, but if critical, may require emergency concerted care.
For our benefits as individuals, some of the more common symptoms of heart attack are mentioned here VIZ: (Before I go further, let me quickly say that women are more likely to have atypical symptoms than men).
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- Tightness or pain in the following body areas; chest, neck, back or arm. This pain can be like a clenched fist in the chest, and can occur during rest.
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness
- Abnormal heart beat and anxiety
- Gastrointestinal symptoms will include heart burn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting.
The treatment for heart attack will depend on the severity of the condition. It ranges from a well-coordinated lifestyle changes in individuals prone to obesity and cardiac rehabilitation, medications and bypass surgery.
How you can survive a heart attack when you are alone.
By now, you are pretty conversant with the likely symptoms during an impending heart attack. You are warned that even if a hospital is nearby, do not drive yourself in the face of the above-mentioned symptoms. Note that in the period leading up to a heart attack, the more physical activity you engage in, the faster the heart attack will progress.
Emergency steps to be taken to survive an impending heart attack when alone will include but not limited to:
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- Call 911. Medical responders should be on ground in no time.
- Endeavor to stay calm and rest
- Chew aspirin tablets – chewing of aspirin slowly, have been shown to slow down the progression of heart attack hence buying time for the victim before medical responders arrive.
- Usually the heart attack will resolve quickly and without lasting damage to the heart. But can in rare cases be fatal.
There is no medical evidence to support “cough CPR,” which suggests that you can help yourself to survive heart attack when alone, by repeatedly engaging in bouts of deep coughing or vigorous coughing.
In conclusion, a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest when your heart stops pumping blood around your body. Symptoms of heart attack can typically last about 15minutes or longer. Can also last for a few minutes or hours. If you have had a chest pain continuously for several days, weeks or months, then it is unlikely to have been caused by a heart attack.
■ Dr. C. Ugochukwu Ulasi is the West African Pilot Medical Correspondent and Analyst, and could be reached at +234 – 8077516282
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