Everything You Need to Know About Heart Attacks and CPR

It is no great secret that a heart attack is one of the most frightening occurrences that could happen to a person – whether it is with an infant, child, or adult. What is more frightening is that it comes without any warning at all, which may lead to one’s death. For this reason, attending various CPR training will definitely aid you in being knowledgeable about what will you do during these times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 790,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack — where someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. In all these cases, 580,000 are a first heart attack and 210,000 happen to people who already had a first heart attack.

With these things to consider, how can one be prepared for a heart attack? Here are some things that you should know about a heart attack.

What triggers a heart attack?

Heart attacks would likely occur when blood flow has been blocked or reduced due to the damaged or dead part of a heart muscle. If the blockage is severe, it would often lead to cardiac arrest. If a bystander or a family member has a CPR certification, then the victim can only be called fortunate enough to have a person that is capable enough in CPR. This is because a cardiac arrest victim’s life can only be prolonged through CPR.

However, you should know that when a heart attack occurs and the longer the victim hasn’t been responded with any treatment to restore his/her blood flow, the greater the damage would be to the heart muscle.

Heart attacks can happen anytime, anywhere

Heart attacks can strike at any time of the day but occur most of the time during the early hours of the day. Studies suggest that morning heart attacks are the most serious cases. As is written in the journal Heart, the heart attack that strikes from 6:00 AM up to noon was associated with the most damage based on the study.

Heart attacks aren’t always visible. Sometimes it could be silently killing you without experiencing any expected signs and symptoms such as chest pains. This is known as the “silent heart attack”.

Heart Attack VS. Cardiac Arrest

Heart attacks are associated with cardiac arrests. However, they differ from each other. Heart attacks are known to be the stopping of the heart’s blood supply while cardiac arrests refer to the incidence where a person’s heart completely stopped beating.

The Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Symptoms of heart attacks vary in men and women because cardiologists say that there’s a difference in plaque and blockage patterns between them. Although they both experience the typical symptom which is the tightening of chests or chest pains, women mostly experience symptoms such as nausea and over fatigue.

Key Takeaway

When proper treatment hasn’t been given to the patient since he/she experienced a heart attack, this could actually lead to a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In this situation, CPR must be given immediately to increase the chances of survival. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or mostly known as CPR is the emergency procedure intended to prolong the patient’s life while waiting for the medical rescuers to arrive.

Learn more about the basics of CPR and earn certification as you undergo training provided by the American Health Care Academy’s courses for an affordable price. Register for CPR class today!