Heart attack first aid

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Heart attack symptoms

Symptoms of heart attack

Heart attack first aid

Definition:

A heart attack is a condition in which damage to an area of heart muscle occurs because of inadequate oxygen supply to the region. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart stops or is otherwise unable to pump enough blood to supply vital organs. Cardiopulmonary arrest is a sudden cessation of both breathing and effective heart function.

Alternative Names:

First aid - heart attack; First aid - cardiopulmonary arrest; First aid - cardiac arrest

Considerations:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America today.

Heart attacks may cause immediate cardiac arrest (cease in heartbeat) or may progress to cardiac arrest. However, not every heart attack causes cardiac arrest.

Many heart attack victims die before they reach a hospital. The average person waits 3 hours before seeking help for symptoms of a heart attack. The sooner someone gets to the emergency room, the better his or her chance of not only surviving, but also of minimizing heart damage following the attack.

Causes:

In adults, causes of heart attack include clot formation or spasm in one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. These and other similar conditions block the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of the heart, leading to damage or death of the cells in that area. Most often, this occurs in an artery that has been narrowed from changes related to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).

Other causes for cardiac arrest may include drowning, suffocation, electrical shock, severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), drug overdose, and trauma.

Babies and children rarely suffer heart attacks. Atherosclerotic heart disease is extremely rare in infants and children. The primary cause for cardiac arrest in children is a preceding respiratory arrest (cessation of breathing). This may occur for a number of reasons including drowning, suffocation, electrical shock, illness, poisoning, and inhaling or swallowing a foreign object (foreign body aspiration).

Review Date: 4/16/2004
Reviewed By: Cherlin Johnson M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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