Transcription
Hello!
Imagine this scene: You are alone, whether at home or at work, late at night. Everything is quiet, and it seems like just another ordinary day until a strange pain suddenly strikes your chest. At first, you think it’s just fatigue, but then the pain intensifies. You start to sweat—not the usual sweat, but the kind that cools your body. The pain radiates to your left arm, your neck, and a feeling of breathlessness begins to dominate. Your heart starts to race, and that’s when you realize you are having a heart attack—an acute myocardial infarction.
But the worst part is, you are alone.
What should you do now? Tell me, do you know how to act in this critical moment? Every second counts; your actions could mean the difference between life and death. In today’s video, I, as a cardiologist with over twenty years of experience, will teach you step by step how to respond during a heart attack when no one is around to help.
Does coughing help? Should you take aspirin? What you do in the next few minutes could save your life or the life of someone nearby.
Pay attention; every detail matters.
But before we continue, don’t forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss our health tips, and activate the notification bell. Also, share this knowledge with your friends and family. By doing this, you can help more people and possibly save lives. So share, and tell me, have you ever had a heart attack, or do you know someone who has? Where are you from? Write it down below.
First of all, if you realize you are having a heart attack, congratulations! Few people know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
Let’s remind ourselves of the symptoms. There are seven signs and symptoms that may indicate you are having a heart attack.
The seventh sign is severe sweating and paleness. If you start sweating abnormally, it’s cold, sticky sweat that clings to your clothes and makes you pale. This happens because your body releases adrenaline in response to the emergency, causing vasoconstriction. It’s a signal that something serious is happening with your heart.
The sixth sign is nausea and vomiting. Stomach discomfort, feelings of nausea, or vomiting can be signs of a heart attack, especially in the case of a diaphragmatic infarction. This occurs because ischemia can radiate to the vagus nerve. Note that for women, nausea and vomiting are among the most common complaints during a heart attack. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often mistaken for stomach viruses or problems, delaying diagnosis. Special attention should also be given to diabetics, as these may be the only symptoms since chest pain may not manifest due to nerve damage (neuropathy). So never ignore sudden nausea and vomiting, especially when accompanied by other signs and symptoms I will mention.
The fifth symptom is dizziness or faintness. Dizziness can be caused by a drop in blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, or even stress. At this moment, for women, dizziness can also be a predominant sign, accompanied by other symptoms. Don’t ignore it.
The fourth symptom is numbness or heaviness in the arm. Pain, numbness, or heaviness may occur in the left arm but can also happen in the right arm, hands, or even both elbows. The brain interprets signals from the heart as signals from the arm due to nerve connections.
The third symptom is shortness of breath. This can manifest as difficulty breathing or a feeling of suffocation, with or without chest pain. This may result from the heart not being able to pump blood effectively or from fluid accumulation in the lungs.
The second symptom is intense anxiety or a feeling of impending doom. Extreme anxiety, similar to a panic attack, can be triggered by the adrenaline surge during a heart attack. Many people describe a premonition that something terrible is about to happen.
And the first symptom, the most common and important, is chest pain.
What does the pain feel like during a heart attack? It’s an intense pain in the center of the chest that may feel like squeezing, pressure, or crushing—as if an elephant is sitting on your chest. This pain can radiate to the arm, jaw, or back and usually lasts more than five minutes. All patients say it’s something they have never felt before. It’s not a sharp pain; it’s not stabbing; it’s a very strong pressure in the chest.
So you have the signs and symptoms, and you are alone.
What is the first step you should take if you are going through this alone? A heart attack is a medical emergency. Time is of the essence; every second can matter.
So the first and most important step is to call someone who can take you to the hospital. This could be a friend, a family member, or an ambulance. Remember this number: 192.
If you notice that the ambulance may take more than 15 minutes, remember that number. Order an Uber, knock on your neighbor’s door to take you to the nearest hospital. The faster you can get to the hospital and receive help, the better your chances of survival.
Now you might think, if time is so important, isn’t it faster to just get in the car and drive to the hospital? The answer is no, and I will explain why.
During a heart attack, your heart is suffering. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, usually by a clot that forms on a fatty plaque that has built up on the wall of a coronary artery that ruptures. This blockage prevents the heart muscle from receiving oxygen. Without oxygen, heart cells begin to die, and the longer the time without treatment, the more damage to the heart.
It’s like the heart is trying to breathe through a tube that suddenly becomes completely blocked. The muscle suffers, and depending on the affected area, this can lead to death in a matter of minutes.
That’s why time is critical. Fifty percent of heart attack deaths occur in the first hour. Very often, a person experiences a sharp drop in blood pressure or even develops a serious heart arrhythmia, which can lead to sudden loss of consciousness while driving. This not only endangers your life but also the lives of others on the road.
Not to mention that even if you think you feel well enough to drive, the effort to control the steering wheel and shift gears can worsen ischemia, the lack of oxygen to the heart. If you feel short of breath, dizzy, or have worsening chest pain, you won’t have the ability to respond to these symptoms while driving.
That’s why I always insist that you ask someone to take you to the hospital or wait for an ambulance.
Of course, it’s important to ensure that rescuers can help you quickly and effectively, so keep the doors open. If you have pets, place them in a closed room to prevent complications when rescuers arrive to help you.
Have a list of your medications and allergies ready. I always recommend my patients keep their last prescription on their phone, take a photo, or keep it in an accessible place, like in their wallet or bag.
What to do while waiting for help? Stay calm and conserve energy. I know it’s hard to stay calm in such a critical situation, but panic can worsen the situation. Try to breathe in a controlled manner; this helps reduce the load on the heart and conserve energy for the body.
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Choose a position that helps relieve pressure on the heart. Sit back with your head slightly elevated; this eases circulation and prevents fainting if you lose consciousness.
Avoid any physical exertion. Moving too much or performing tasks increases the effort required from the heart muscle. If possible, take aspirin to improve your condition, provided you have no allergies or contraindications. Chew two or three 100 mg aspirin tablets.
You heard that right—chewing the aspirin allows it to work faster, so chew the tablet before swallowing it instead of taking it whole with water. Chewing speeds up the absorption of the medication into the bloodstream, providing a quicker effect.
Aspirin acts as an antiplatelet agent, meaning it helps prevent platelets from clumping together and increases blood flow. This can reduce the degree of blockage and allow blood to continue flowing, even if partially, until you receive specialized medical help, minimizing the consequences of the heart attack.
Of course, you won’t be buying aspirin at the pharmacy if it’s not on hand; they will give it to you in the hospital.
How does coughing work? You’ve probably heard that vigorous coughing can save your life during a heart attack, and now it’s time to debunk this myth.
The so-called "cough CPR" is a formation that has circulated on the internet for several years but has no scientific or medical basis. Remember what I said: a heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot. At this stage, the heart is suffering but still beating. This means you are conscious and do not need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is indicated only when the heart has completely stopped.
If you are conscious and can cough, it means you are not in cardiac arrest. The idea behind this fake news is that repeated coughing can create a sort of compression in the chest and help the heart return to a normal rhythm, but this makes no sense during a heart attack.
The problem is not the heart's rhythm, as it is in arrhythmias or cardiac arrest, but rather the blockage of blood flow. Coughing does not unblock the artery.
If you have taken isosorbide or sulfinpyrazone, avoid unnecessary self-medication. This is indeed part of heart attack treatment, but it does not reduce mortality. Worse yet, if you have taken tadalafil (Cialis) or Viagra, you could die from the combination.
Not to mention that during a right ventricular infarction, you could also die if you take these medications. So no, don’t make things up.
Now, if you are called to help someone suspected of having a heart attack and find a person unconscious without signs of breathing, act quickly. This is important; they may have had a lightning-fast heart attack.
What is a lightning-fast heart attack? It’s one of the most serious forms of acute myocardial infarction, characterized by rapid evolution and high mortality. It occurs when a coronary artery, usually the trunk or the anterior descending artery, which is the main artery, undergoes complete and abrupt blockage, leading to sudden cardiac arrest in a matter of minutes or even an hour.
Note that 15% of heart attacks manifest as sudden death, giving the patient no chance to reach the hospital. Usually, massive coronary thrombosis causes fatal arrhythmias, such as ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia.
But imagine you arrive at the moment this is happening. What should you do? You need to call for help. It should be an ambulance; remember 192. They will have a defibrillator, which you will need.
But of course, you won’t just stand there and watch; you will start performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which consists of compressions at a rate of about 100 to 120 per minute. You will only stop when the ambulance arrives with the defibrillator.
The most important factor determining how you will fare after a heart attack is the speed at which you recognize the symptoms and seek help. There is a direct correlation between the moment a heart attack begins—usually when the first symptoms appear—and the time it takes for a doctor to open the blocked coronary artery and restore blood flow to the heart.
The sooner this happens, the better the outcomes. This not only significantly increases your chances of survival but also reduces the risk of serious complications, such as heart failure and new hospitalizations.
That’s why you should always take symptoms seriously and never wait to see if it will pass. Recognizing the signs I mentioned and acting quickly is crucial for saving your life and maintaining your health.
And here’s the good news: over the past few decades, the mortality rate from heart attacks worldwide has decreased by an average of 21% due to improved treatments and increased awareness.
When you arrive at the hospital, advocate for yourself. If you think you are having a heart attack, you should not wait in line. Time is muscle, and it’s your muscle. It’s your life.
I have worked in emergency services for a long time and have seen people with pale faces, feeling unwell, holding their chests, waiting in line for triage. Of course, I immediately called for help; they were indeed having a heart attack.
Don’t wait in line, and if a doctor dismisses your symptoms without performing an electrocardiogram, insist on it. At a minimum, you need an electrocardiogram and enzyme tests, and I hope they know how to read the electrocardiogram.
If you have an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, which shows on the electrocardiogram, it is considered a more serious heart attack. The doctor may choose to administer thrombolytics through a vein, which will open your coronary artery, or place stents.
Who is at greater risk for a heart attack?
Men over 45 or women over 55 have a higher risk. Those who smoke, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, lead a sedentary lifestyle, experience high stress, or have a family history of heart attacks (father, mother, siblings) are at risk.
Drug use, such as cocaine, also increases risk. But there are people who have none of these factors and still suffer a heart attack.
How can you protect yourself from a heart attack? Most heart attacks can be prevented through proactive measures to improve your health and heart. So make healthier choices.
Follow a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats while limiting trans fats, saturated fats, and added sugars.
Engage in regular physical activity. Physical activity strengthens the heart, improves circulation, helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces stress, and enhances mood.
Aim for 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as walking, cycling, or swimming each week.
Maintain a healthy weight, avoid smoking, and prioritize regular medical check-ups.
Now I want you to take a deep breath and understand that the information you just received could save lives—possibly yours or someone nearby.
Remember to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and act quickly; this is crucial. It turns an emergency situation into a story of survival.
The heart is the engine of your body; take care of it. Care for it with love and spread this message. Share this video with friends and family because the more people know how to act in a critical moment, the more lives can be saved.
Thank you very much!