Arrest a heart attack in its tracks

A cardiac arrest gives one only a few minutes, before things go literally out of hand. Here’s what you should know

Heart attack symptoms may vary from one individual to another. It is important to note that not all cardiac emergencies have sudden and crushing chest pain. At times, there are no symptoms of heart attack — mostly common in people with diabetes. Depending upon one’s age, gender and personal medical conditions, here are a few heart attack symptoms and warning signs you should be aware of:

1)Extreme pain and discomfort, which starts from one’s chest and goes on to other parts of the body, such as neck, stomach, teeth and arms.

2)There is an acute chest discomfort, which leads to squeezing pain, fullness and pressure in the centre of the chest.

3)Shortness of breath, which might or might not be accompanied with chest discomfort.

4)Other symptoms of heart attack might include cold sweats, anxiety, vomiting, indigestion, unexplained fatigue and nausea.

Emergency life-saving moves

One needs to be abreast with the following functions:

1) CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

2) Artificial respiration (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation)

3) Effective practice on resuscitation dummies.

What to do if someone has a heart attack
If suddenly a patient goes unconscious and is breathing heavily, here’s what to do:


1) Feel the patient’s chest/breast to see if there is constant moment. If they are breathing heavily, then call for the emergency services right away.

2) If the patient is not breathing, they might be in a respiratory state and they are probably caught in a cardiac arrest condition, where the heart has stopped beating effectively.

3) It is advisable to not waste time looking for a pulse. In emergency, one should call for medical help at once. Make sure the CPR is given immediately to the patient, who is unresponsive. 4 Note that if the patient is not breathing, then the patient is in cardiac arrest. So, be certain to call 102 for ambulance and 108 for emergency disaster management.