Heart attack first aid at home. Providing first aid for a heart attack. The most typical in this context are

It is well known that a heart attack, which significantly increases the risk of death, is extremely dangerous for a person. However, not everyone knows what and how to do in case of it. sudden appearance. Therefore, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the main reasons and characteristic symptoms, and also remember those emergency first aid techniques medical care patient, which in this situation are guaranteed to help him. It is possible that they will even save his life. We will also analyze risk factors and main preventive measures.

Causes of heart attack

Modern medicine agrees that the key causes of a heart attack are two factors:

  1. The appearance of a break in the fabric. This fracture is instantly filled with platelets, resulting in a blood clot. When a blood clot closes the arterial lumen, oxygen ceases to reach the myocardium in the volume necessary for the body.
  2. Enlargement of atherosclerotic plaque with parallel gradual narrowing, blocking the lumen of the vessel. As a result of the heart not receiving the volume of oxygen-enriched blood it needs, it muscle tissue necrosis is provoked. It is as a result of these two reasons that acute attack hearts.

Symptoms

The first warning signs of a heart attack appear in a person long before it begins. Many have been recorded clinical cases when these typical symptoms occurred several weeks and even months before the attack itself. They are fixed in the body in the form of:

  • shortness of breath during physical activity and in its absence;
  • pain in the left, cardiac region of the chest, which resonates in the neck, shoulder blade, jaw;
  • , motor dysfunctions;
  • decline physical strength even after a long rest;
  • swelling of the hands, feet and face;
  • excessive sweating;
  • chronic insomnia, persistent feelings of anxiety, fear;
  • increased heart rate;
  • cases of loss of consciousness;
  • abnormalities in the functioning of the gastrointestinal organs.


Among the atypical signs of an approaching attack are deviations from the usual state in the form of night snoring, heartburn, inflammation of the gums, symptoms of the flu (from aching joints to fever), etc.

It has also been proven that women and men have distinctive symptoms heart attack. Symptoms in women: nausea, heartburn, fatigue, difficulty breathing, muscle weakness and pain in the upper abdomen, which, as a rule, is almost never recorded in men. Therefore, the precursors of an attack in women often go unnoticed, and the statistics of deaths in them, since 1984, has exceeded the number of deaths in men. We must also remember that in women during attacks sharp pain occurs less frequently than in men, and in those patients whose age exceeds 75 years, ischemic disease can occur without obvious symptoms. However, doctors strongly recommend not to hesitate and call “ ambulance“at the first appearance of at least two of the factors just listed. It is possible that with subsequent careful diagnosis of the body, other diseases may be detected in it.

Signs of a mild heart attack due to angina pectoris

You also need to know how to recognize cardiac disease. In this case, the patient feels:

  • burning or pressing pain in the chest area;
  • resonating pain in left hand, neck, shoulder, between the shoulder blades or stomach;
  • when the pain in the abdomen begins, nausea begins.

Precursors of a heart attack

There are clear classic signs of a heart attack. Direct warning signs of a heart attack are usually considered to be:

  • persistent pain in the chest area;
  • sudden dizziness for no reason, as well as fainting;
  • sharp pallor, copious discharge cold sweat.

Therefore, if there is a periodic feeling of chest discomfort, significant shortness of breath, intolerance stuffy room, general physical weakening, attacks of insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Symptoms of a heart attack

The first signs of a possible heart attack have been well studied. Doctors consider the most common symptom of a heart attack to be pressing, burning pain in the area. chest. It can have different intensity and depend on the patient’s individual pain threshold. In addition, such pain often resonates in the left arm, shoulder blade, neck, and jaw. A heart attack is sometimes diagnosed by:

  • severe dizziness, although this may be due to bad work hearts;
  • by increased sweating (if it appears suddenly, accompanied by severe pallor);
  • atypical signs of pain(for example, pain in the stomach or abdomen, with vomiting, nausea);
  • by excessive fatigue in the morning, after a long rest, and other indicators.

Algorithm of actions for providing first aid

If the patient appears, first aid should be immediately provided. heart attack. These preventive actions will help you wait for the ambulance doctor, who will provide the patient with professional assistance. The method of providing such assistance is simple and accessible to every adult, so you need to know how to relieve an attack at home.

Traditionally, you need to start with immediate call doctor, clarifying that it was a heart attack, so that a team of cardiologists would arrive. Then place the patient in a horizontal position that is comfortable for him, so that his head rises above the pillow and is tilted to one side, so that in the process possible vomiting he didn't choke. Unbutton him tight clothes. If he does not suffer from a peptic ulcer, give him an Aspirin tablet with Nitroglycerin, or put Nitroglycerin under the tongue (one tablet). As a rule, such help helps almost immediately. How to help yourself is also known: you need to immediately lie down, take Nitroglycerin and call for help, or call (if possible). It is worth noting that the use of Nitroglycerin is contraindicated in case of hypotension. It is also recommended to ventilate the room and take measurements for the patient. blood pressure. If assistance is provided within the first hour after the onset of pre-infarction pain, the patient will experience the most favorable outcome.


What not to do during a heart attack

The most important thing: a patient with an attack is strictly forbidden to get up, move, smoke, eat or drink until a doctor appears. The prohibitions, of course, also apply to taking medications that he should not take or does not tolerate well. For example, Aspirin, as already noted, should be clearly excluded from use in the case of a peptic ulcer. In turn, if there is low blood pressure, severe bleeding, disturbances in the patient’s speech and coordination of his movements, it is prohibited to give Nitroglycerin.

What needs to be done before the doctor arrives

Those who are close to the patient are obliged not only to know exactly what to do in case of a heart attack, but also to prepare for the doctor’s arrival all the necessary information base, namely:

  • a list of the medications he previously took (it would be advisable to even collect packages of them);
  • a list of medications that the patient cannot tolerate or that cause allergies;
  • official documents (extracts, certificates, etc.) about the preliminary treatment of the patient and his state of health, which should preferably be arranged in chronological order.


Further lifestyle

First of all, the patient needs to undergo full course treatment with effective clinical trial, the use of modern medicines. It is important healthy way life, which involves feasible physical activity, since its absence increases the likelihood of cardiac ischemia, since the heart in this case is constantly experiencing oxygen deficiency. You should completely stop smoking, which increases blood pressure and, accordingly, the formation of blood clots, as well as drinking alcohol: it provokes vascular spasms, that is, it worsens their patency. The most important factor is proper nutrition, which involves avoiding cholesterol-rich foods, fatty foods, provoking atherosclerosis. The patient should constantly remember medical factors of his condition, namely:

  • obesity is a direct path to cardiovascular diseases, as well as diabetes mellitus, which negatively affects the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart;
  • Hypertension causes blood vessels to lose their elasticity and causes spasms.

Prevention measures

Based on the requirements of the previous section, the patient is recommended to take all preventive measures necessary in his situation regarding his lifestyle, nutrition, rest, monitoring his health, etc. Competent and constant prevention heart attack with a significant probability guarantees that it can be avoided and make your life as fulfilling as possible. The method of preventing a heart attack has been comprehensively developed by domestic and foreign doctors and is feasible for any person.

It is also necessary to note the main risk factors. These include, firstly, a person’s age: the chances of getting sick coronary disease heart rate is significantly higher in elderly patients. According to statistics, people over 65 years of age account for approximately 85% of all deaths. Secondly, before the age of 65 years, men are more at risk of ischemia than women. However, in women, the likelihood of its occurrence increases sharply after the onset of menopause, and their survival rate after an attack is much lower than in men. Plays a significant role hereditary factor. If one of your direct relatives was once ill with diseases that provoke vascular abnormalities (these include hypertension, types of atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, etc.), the risk of an attack increases significantly.

As a conclusion. The analyzed disease does not at all condemn a person to helplessness. A lot depends on how optimistic he perceives it and how he carries out prevention. With such a disease in different forms and with to varying degrees Tens of millions of people live with gravity, so it is a mistake to think that with it death inevitable. We must fight to the end for our health, and then we will be able to overcome any illness!

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Today's article will be complete medical terms, but let's try to figure it all out. Sometimes, in order to save a person’s life, it is enough to perform very simple manipulations, let’s talk about everything in order.

Heart problems most often occur in older people. Although middle-aged patients and even young people are increasingly complaining of heart failure.

As a rule, if acute heart failure occurs, it is necessary urgent help doctors. But relatives of a patient with heart failure need to know how to properly provide first aid to such a patient before the emergency medical team arrives.

Most often, it is competent first aid during a heart attack that saves the patient’s life.

Signs of acute heart failure

Marked following forms acute heart failure in humans:

  • congestive - in this case, failure occurs either in the left or right ventricle, which causes blood stagnation;
  • hypokinetic, which is characterized by the occurrence of cardiogenic shock.

With congestive heart failure of the left or right ventricles, blood circulates worse in the pulmonary or systemic circulation.

Due to poor blood circulation in internal organs may develop various complications. Thus, poor blood circulation in the lungs leads to acute edema in this section respiratory tract. The symptoms of this edema are as follows:

  • the appearance of shortness of breath, which gradually increases and can lead to suffocation;
  • a person is forced to be in sitting position, since when lying down he experiences attacks of shortness of breath due to the fact that ventilation in the lungs is weakened;
  • coughing attacks with the release of foamy sputum;
  • moist rales are heard in the lung area when inhaling and exhaling;
  • the heart begins to beat faster;
  • pronounced cyanosis skin, as well as the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx.

If thromboembolism occurs pulmonary artery, then both cardiac and pulmonary failure occurs simultaneously. In this case, the patient exhibits following symptoms:

  • in a person at rest, there is severe shortness of breath;
  • There is pronounced cyanosis around the cube;
  • the patient complains about severe pain behind the sternum;
  • if thromboembolism is accompanied by an infarction of one or both lungs, then the patient begins to cough up hemoptysis.

Symptoms of blood circulation disorders in big circle blood circulation are as follows:

  • severe swelling of the veins in the neck;
  • pain under the right rib due to high blood pressure in the portal vein, stagnation of blood in the veins and sharp increase in the size of the liver;
  • accumulates in the peritoneal cavity a large number of liquids;
  • sometimes it is possible to develop acute tissue death of the hepatic pyronchema, which is why the patient may develop jaundice of the skin.

The main purpose of first aid to a patient

First aid for heart failure should be provided where the person's attack began.

The main goal of such assistance is to reduce tension on the myocardium. It is also necessary to correctly redistribute the blood flow from the lungs.

The life of that person sometimes depends on how timely first aid was provided to such a patient.

Actions for first aid to a patient at home

The first pre-medical aid that should be provided to a patient with acute heart failure at home before the arrival of an ambulance is as follows:


How important is it to provide first the right help?

Why is it so important to quickly and correctly perform first aid if a person develops heart failure? Because in this case, minutes may count, and the ambulance doctors may not be able to get there on time. And how well loved ones know how to help a patient depends on his life, and not just his health.

An attack of acute heart failure is one of the diseases in which it is competent first aid that allows the patient to hold out until the ambulance arrives. And the doctors will already administer the necessary medications to the patient. And if necessary, the patient is hospitalized.

That is why every person should know how to help such patients - after all, this attack can happen to a patient on the street, in a store, in transport, etc.

It was the competent first aid of passers-by that saved more than one human life during an attack of heart failure.

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Chest pain in the area of ​​the heart does not always indicate a disease of this particular organ. But every person, especially if he has a predisposition to cardiac pathologies, should be able to differentiate the sensations that arise in the chest, distinguishing pain in the heart from discomfort in internal organs.

This is important, since in case of heart pain, first aid is needed immediately in some cases. For example, with such serious illnesses, like a dissecting aortic aneurysm, minutes can count, and the outcome depends on timely first aid.

The main indicator that allows you to distinguish heart pain from others and provide first aid in time is the nature, duration and localization, as well as the reaction to medicines(LS). Pain in the area of ​​the heart, associated specifically with this organ, occurs primarily with angina and heart attack. In the latter case, first aid for pain in the heart area is needed within 10–15 minutes after the onset of the attack.

Angina pectoris is one of the first manifestations of coronary artery disease when the heart tissue does not receive sufficient nutrition. Angina pectoris manifests itself in the form of sharp pain behind the sternum, which has a compressive nature. It's not like that dangerous condition, like a heart attack, but you still need to know what to do with angina pain in the heart at home, what pills to take and how to behave during an attack.

The following can trigger an attack requiring first aid:

  • physical exercise;
  • psychological stress, shock;
  • temperature difference (when leaving the room into cold air);
  • plentiful food.

First characteristic feature angina pectoris is a short attack, the acute phase of which lasts from 2 to 5 minutes, after which the pain gradually subsides and completely disappears after 20–30 minutes. When taking heart medications, the attack stops almost immediately.

First aid for heart pain due to angina pectoris is to eliminate the cause of the attack (reduce the load, reduce stress) and calm the person. You can take one Nitroglycerin tablet.

A heart attack is a more serious condition associated with coronary artery disease. It is an acute lack of oxygen in the myocardial tissues, resulting in their partial necrosis. Timely first aid for heart pain will save a person’s life. The attack is characterized by burning pain in the chest, which may radiate to left side chest, under the shoulder blade. A person feels a lack of air and experiences a pronounced feeling of heaviness in the heart area. Often the attack is accompanied by panic and fear of death, and the inability to be in a horizontal position.

The first sign that allows you to distinguish a heart attack from angina is the persistence of pain even when using nitroglycerin and other cardiac drugs. In this condition, the patient requires first emergency first aid for heart pain.

The third dangerous condition is an aortic aneurysm, in which pain appears in the upper chest without radiating to other parts of the body. The pain continues for a long time (sometimes throughout the day) and intensifies with exercise. With a dissecting aortic aneurysm, the pain is acute and bursting, after which the patient usually loses consciousness, which requires first aid from those nearby. Next, all you need to do if you have heart pain at home is to seek emergency medical help.

Signs of a pre-infarction condition

Characteristic signs of heart pain

The first thing you need to do at home when you have heart pain is to distinguish it from sensations of another origin. Often, during the first attack, patients confuse neuralgic sensations with angina pectoris or a heart attack. But characteristic difference unpleasant sensations of non-cardiogenic origin are a clear connection with movement and the ability to accurately indicate the location of pain. With neuralgia, the pain is paroxysmal and acute, and intensifies even with inhalation and weak movements of the hands. The patient clearly feels that he has pain between the ribs on the left and/or right. Other sensations may indicate osteochondrosis (for example, a feeling of numbness or tingling in the left hand) or stomach diseases (if the attack occurred for the first time after a long absence of food).

The first sign that allows you to identify pain as cardiac is the nature of the pain: it is felt in the center of the chest, and radiates to the left - arm, shoulder, neck, and sometimes to the center of the back under the left shoulder blade. Another important sign heart pain - fear of death that occurs suddenly, without external causes.

Principles of first aid

A person diagnosed with or with a history of myocardial infarction or recurrent cases of angina should know what to do first when dealing with heart pain. His relatives should also be aware of the principles of first aid for heart pain.

First of all, you need:

  • provide a person with peace;
  • check the pressure;
  • if the pressure is normal or high, give medicine for heart pain as a first aid - a drug from the nitrate group to reduce the load on the heart;
  • give one of the drugs that block platelet aggregation to reduce the risk of heart attack and minimize its consequences;
  • call an ambulance.

Every person who is susceptible to angina pectoris or has survived a heart attack should always have with them medications used as first aid for heart pain.

  • Nitroglycerin, Verapamil - drugs that improve blood supply to the myocardium and reduce its need for oxygen (they are taken at the first stage of care).
  • - reduces frequency heart rate and its need for oxygen.
  • Riboxin - improves metabolic processes in the myocardium, increases its blood supply.

If the patient is under the supervision of a therapist or cardiologist due to diagnosed IHD, after suffered a heart attack myocardium or angina, he must have with him medications prescribed by a doctor as maintenance therapy.

First aid for heart pain at home begins with clarifying the nature and localization of unpleasant sensations. If a person cannot give an exact answer to where exactly it hurts, you need to:

  • first of all, stop physical or emotional stress (if any);
  • provide the patient with peace;
  • release from constricting clothing elements (unfasten the collar, loosen the trouser belt);
  • give the patient nitroglycerin (1 tablet);
  • give 300 mg of acetylsalicylic acid;
  • if angina pain persists for 5 minutes after the first tablet, give another nitrate tablet;
  • if the attack still does not go away, call an ambulance.

If after taking nitrate the pain subsides within a minute, then we're talking about about angina pectoris. The first thing to do in case of heart pain at home, if the pain intensifies, is to call a doctor.

Emergency first aid for pain after a heart attack

Whenever pain in the chest, which appears suddenly and does not subside for more than five minutes, myocardial infarction can be assumed. You need to act very quickly. First aid if your heart hurts, and the pain is acute, burning, with heaviness and lack of air, includes:

  • calling an ambulance;
  • relief from constrictive clothing;
  • blood pressure (BP) measurement;
  • if the blood pressure is normal or high, taking nitroglycerin tablets (sublingual) is indicated; if the blood pressure is below 100 mm, then nitrate cannot be given, because it will lower the pressure, intensify the attack or lead to the development of heart failure;
  • 300 mg aspirin (chew).

What to do if there is pain in the heart after a myocardial infarction, if a person has lost consciousness and stopped breathing? First aid includes resuscitation actions (artificial ventilation lungs, heart massage). If the patient is stable and conscious, but feels burning pain and heaviness in the chest, he should not be left alone until the ambulance arrives.

Useful video

Additional information about what to do if you have heart pain can be found in this video:

Conclusion

  1. Help for pain in the heart is to determine as accurately as possible the cause and nature of the sensations and take the necessary measures in accordance with it.
  2. At home, an attack of angina can be stopped with the help of nitrate and drugs that improve blood supply to the myocardium. Aspirin is the second aid tablet before the doctors arrive.
  3. If the nature of the sensations is acute, sharp and unbearable, lasts more than 10 minutes and does not go away from taking nitrate, then most likely it is associated with a heart attack and requires immediate medical attention.

Heart attack – severe, acute pathological condition, arising as a result insufficient blood supply heart muscle - myocardium - with the development of ischemia (decreased blood supply) and necrosis (death) of a section of this muscle. A heart attack without first aid can be fatal.

Myocardial infarction develops as a result of blockage of the lumen of a vessel ( coronary artery), which supplies blood to the myocardium.

Causes of blockage of the lumen of the coronary artery

  1. Thrombosis of the coronary arteries (for example, with coagulopathy - a blood clotting disorder);
  2. Atherosclerotic plaques (consist of cholesterol and other fat compounds; deposited on the walls of the arteries) - common, in 93-98% of cases;
  3. Spasm of the coronary arteries.

Risk factors

Learning to recognize myocardial infarction (MI) ❗

Acute heart failure is characterized by squeezing, tearing pain in the depths of the chest, radiating to the upper limbs, neck, involving the lower jaw, between the shoulder blades, and less often to the solar plexus; can even radiate to the back of the head. The pain is accompanied by weakness, sweating (cold and sticky sweat), nausea, and dizziness.

Pain is not always present! In approximately 15-20% of patients acute heart attack myocardium passes painlessly. More often, silent MI is observed in patients diabetes mellitus, as well as in persons old age. In elderly patients, MI is expressed by sudden shortness of breath, which can develop into pulmonary edema. In other cases, MI, both painful and non-painful, is characterized sudden loss consciousness, a feeling of severe weakness, the occurrence of arrhythmia, or simply an inexplicable sharp drop in blood pressure.

Causes of chest pain

The source of pain in the chest can be all its organs. It is important to correctly identify a heart attack. But what if the symptoms are subtle? Below is a table that highlights the most common reasons pain in the chest area.

Causes Localization Nature of pain Factors that provoke, enhance, relieve Some associated symptoms
Angina pectoris pressing, burning, squeezing; lasting up to 10 minutes exercise stress;
stops after removing the load or taking nitroglycerin
dyspnea
Myocardial infarction retrosternal, may radiate to the neck area, lower jaw, upper limbs, stomach area squeezing, tearing pain in the depths of the chest; pain more intense than with angina pectoris; is not relieved by taking nitroglycerin and does not stop after eliminating the load dyspnea, increased sweating(cold and sticky sweat), severe weakness, nausea, occasional vomiting
Pericarditis retrosternal or at the site of the apical impulse (rhythmic pulsation - a small protrusion within one intercostal space); may radiate to the neck and left shoulder sharp, stabbing;
intensity varies
deep breath, twist your torso different sides, in a lying position, cough;
decreases in a sitting position when bending forward
pericardial friction rub, shortness of breath
Cholelithiasis right hypochondrium or stomach area, may radiate to the right shoulder strong, increasing, then constant;
fades away slowly; duration from 10 minutes to several hours
eating fatty foods; decreases when lying on your side heartburn, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite
Peptic ulcer stomach area, rarely in the lower chest dull, less often sharp eating (sometimes on an empty stomach), quick feeling of fullness, fullness of the stomach while eating
Osteoarticular pain local, anterior chest wall sharp or pressing chest movements, cough sensitivity to palpation
Neurotic pain anterior chest wall changeable emotional stress shortness of breath, palpitations, anxiety
Aortic dissection
(very rare pathology)
anterior wall of the chest, extends into the interscapular or lumbar region tearing, incredibly strong; appears suddenly high blood pressure asymmetry of blood pressure in the extremities
Esophageal rupture
(very rare pathology)
retrosternal very strong, burning; sudden sudden vomiting vomit

What not to do during a heart attack

  1. Fulfill physical activity: stand up abruptly, move around, go independently medical institution. Because unnecessary movements increase the load on the heart!
  2. Use strong alcohol: Tea coffee; smoke before medical personnel arrive
  3. Accept medicinal product– nitroglycerin – at low blood pressure (below 90/60 mm Hg), since it causes a sharp decline blood pressure, up to fainting

First aid

It is important to remember that from timely delivery first aid The life and further recovery of the patient depend.

Algorithm of actions

  1. If an MI is suspected: the patient, if conscious, must be seated and reassured. Best Positions: sitting, leaning on the back of a chair or armchair, reclining with knees bent. Provide access to fresh air; loosen tight, constricting clothing (bra for women, tie for men);
  2. Call an ambulance;
  3. If you have Aspirin or Nitroglycerin and the patient is not allergic to the drugs: Chew Aspirin (this speeds up the action of Aspirin) and swallow OR Place Nitroglycerin under the tongue (do not chew, do not swallow);
  4. In case of cardiac arrest (loss of consciousness, agonal breathing - shallow, frequent, with wheezing, lack of breathing), immediately begin CPR ( cardiopulmonary resuscitation): Place your hands in the center of your chest and start doing indirect massage heart followed by artificial respiration.

For reference

  • Arrived medical personnel must be reported measures taken. For example, if a patient has been given a dose of Aspirin, then an additional dose is not required.
  • If, after taking aspirin or nitroglycerin, the pain has disappeared, the condition has improved, it is still necessary to call a local physician at home. This cannot be ignored.

What needs to be done before the doctor arrives

  1. Provide first aid to the patient, following the algorithm described above.
  2. Prepare a list of medications or their packaging that the patient took the day before.
  3. Names of drugs, substances to which the patient is allergic or intolerant.
  4. Prepare medical documents(certificates, extracts), examination reports (for example, ultrasound of the heart, daily monitoring ECG) in chronological order.
  5. For subsequent hospitalization of the patient, you should collect a package with necessary things: documents (passport, policy, SNILS), hygiene supplies ( Toothbrush, toothpaste, washable slippers, soap), a change of clothes.

Useful video on the topic

Heart attack - danger sign one of the many vascular and myocardial diseases that annually cause the death of more than 17 million of the world's population. The paroxysmal nature and suddenness of its manifestations not only make early detection of the disease difficult, but also often deprive the patient of the opportunity to get to a medical facility.

First aid for a heart attack and timely calling an ambulance can save a person: most deaths from this disease occur in the first hours after the onset of symptoms.

A heart attack is a pathology that occurs as a result acute shortage blood supply to the myocardium. Termination of admission nutrients and oxygen is most often associated with thrombosis or spasm of the area of ​​the coronary artery near atherosclerotic plaques. Cardiac ischemia - a decrease in tissue supply due to weakening or complete cessation of blood flow - leads to its necrosis. This phenomenon is called myocardial infarction.

TO characteristic features heart attack include:

  • Occurs during night sleep or early morning.
  • Increased likelihood of development after psycho-emotional stress(funeral, stressful situation, conflict) and with an increase in blood pressure.
  • Dependence of risks of occurrence on quantity physical exercise in the next few hours before the attack (chest pain can appear not only during exercise, but even at night after a busy day).
  • Occurs when the body is dehydrated (being in a bathhouse, on a hot street or in a heated room, using diuretics) or in the next 12 hours after excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.

To the group increased risk Experts attribute manifestations of a heart attack to the following reasons:


How to recognize a heart attack?

Signs of a heart attack in women are less obvious, so first aid is often too late for them. Symptoms of cessation of blood supply to myocardial tissue in male patients are in most cases more pronounced: there is a clear indication of the localization of the pathology pressing pain, discomfort. In women, due to the specificity of pain perception and the location of ischemic foci clinical picture may be limited to difficulty breathing, dizziness and dull ache in the upper body, arm, or neck. The decision to call an ambulance is made too late, after the full picture of ischemia and infarction has developed, and the effectiveness of the fibrinolytic drug is reduced.
Despite this, on average, men are much more likely to die from the consequences of a heart attack. Doctors suggest that this distribution and more elderly age patients are associated with hormonal levels.

Women are more susceptible to blockage small vessels, and representatives of the stronger sex – thrombosis of the main coronary arteries.

How to determine the causes of chest pain

The first signs of a heart attack can be disguised as other diseases - osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia, peptic ulcer stomach, inflammation of the pancreas or gall bladder. How to recognize a heart attack in time and what to do if the symptoms are not obvious?

Possible causes of pain in thoracic region and their signs.

DiseaseSymptomsNature of pain
Dizziness, loss of consciousness
Sweating
Nausea
Dyspnea
Soreness in the upper body
Anxiety
During a heart attack, cardiac asthma occurs ( blue lips, cold sweat, swelling of blood vessels in the neck, shortness of breath, cough, pale skin)
Pressing, squeezing, burning. Attacks similar to heartburn
A heart attack manifests itself as a “dagger-like”, intense burning pain for more than 30 minutes
Angina pectorisArrhythmia
Sudden change in blood pressure
Paleness, sweating
Lack of air
The defining feature is the effectiveness of nitroglycerin
Pressing pain behind the sternum that radiates to left side body and arm and passes within 5-20 minutes
Other diseases of the thoracic regionPossible nausea and vomiting, pain in the epigastric region (with inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract), discomfort between the shoulder blades or ribsPiercing, cutting or It's a dull pain, aggravated by movement of the sternum, palpation of the ribs, prolonged immobility or after eating

What should you not do if you have a heart attack?

A patient with symptoms of ischemia and angina pectoris is strictly prohibited from doing the following:

  • Stand up abruptly, move around, eat, drink coffee and tea, and smoke until medical personnel arrive.
  • Accept acetylsalicylic acid at peptic ulcers Gastrointestinal tract and taking the drug during the day.
  • Use nitroglycerin and its analogues when systolic pressure below 100 mmHg, severe weakness, dizziness, sweating and signs of stroke (head pain, aphasia, loss of coordination and clarity of vision, epileptic seizure).

Algorithm of actions for first aid

First aid for a heart attack at home should aim to alleviate or prevent the deterioration of the patient’s condition. It is necessary to strictly follow the algorithm of pre-medical actions:


If the symptoms disappear, this does not mean that the heart is healthy again. It is necessary to immediately call a doctor at home and then follow his recommendations, especially during the patient’s first attack.

  1. If the pain persists 5 minutes after taking the medicine, re-put the nitrate capsule/tablet under the tongue and urgently call a team emergency care. If a new dose of the drug does not help after 10 minutes, repeat the action a third time.

If the necessary medications are not available, and the pain does not go away after 5 minutes, it is necessary to urgently call the doctors and not too tightly tighten the thighs (20 cm from the groin) and arms (10 cm from the shoulder) with tourniquets for 15-20 minutes. While waiting for an ambulance, you need to monitor the patient’s breathing and pulse. In case of cardiac arrest, indirect massage through the sternum and artificial respiration are performed.

What needs to be done before the doctor arrives

In addition to providing first aid for a heart attack, which should be done as soon as possible, the attending physician will need information and documents such as:

  • a list of medications taken by the patient the day before;
  • a list of medications that cause allergies in the patient;
  • all available ECG records, certificates and extracts from hospitals, arranged in chronological order.

Information about the patient’s age, location and intensity of pain, accompanying symptoms The medications taken to stop the attack and their dosages are also transmitted to the dispatcher when calling the team, along with the home address or maximum accurate description locations.

For hospitalization, a patient needs his documents ( medical information, policy and passport), hygiene items, change of linen and shoes.

A heart attack can happen at any time: at home, in transport, in a store or on the street. Timely recognition of symptoms and provision of emergency care before doctors arrive reduces the risk of death from a heart attack.