Heart Attacks

Heart attacks occur when the coronary artery becomes blocked and the area of the heart being supplied by this particular blood vessel will be deprived of oxygen, thus will die.

The advancements in hospitals today means that normally heart attack sufferers will make a full recovery and this is important to remember when you are reassuring someone that is having a heart attack.

When someone has a heart attack there are several procedures that you should follow:

• Firstly, you must move the individual into a semi-sitting position, ie with the head and shoulders supported with a large pillow for example and the knees bent and supported with a rolled up sheet for example.
• Reassure the individual and do not allow them to move as this will place more strain on their heart
• Call for an ambulance as soon as possible because the individual will definitely require hospital care
• If the individual has angina medication then let them take this. If they do not then allow them to chew on an ordinary aspirin without water.
• You must ensure that you constantly check on their breathing and pulse and be prepared to resuscitate if necessary