[MDOsprey] How to survive a heart attack while alone

Tyler Bell (Bell@acnatsci.org)
Wed, 23 Jun 1999 15:19:31 -0400


This came across BirdChat but should be of interest to all.

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All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your
chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into
your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital
nearest your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll
be able to make it that far. What can you do? You've been
trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected
to tell you how to perform it on yourself.

This is a reprint of an article that was published in the
newsletter of Rochester General Hospital. It gives you a
course of action should you find yourself alone and think
that you are having a heart attack. Before passing it on
to anyone else (I didn't recognize the source), I felt it
was necessary to get a more learned opinion as to the validity
of the procedure so I dropped it off for Dr. Domangue (Plant
Medical Director) to comment on. His comment was very brief:
"You should do this."

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

(Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack,
this article seemed in order.)

Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly
and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left
before losing consciousness. PLEASE first pull to the side
of the road, if driving. However, these victims can help
themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A
deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the
cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum
from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be
repeated about every two seconds without let up until help
arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally
again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements
squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing
pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In
this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between
breaths, call for  help.

Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could
save their lives!

Naturally you should call 911 as soon as you can.

Good Birding!
Tyler Bell
mailto:bell@acnatsci.org
California, MD
http://www.audubon.org/chapter/md/smas/