How to Help Someone Having an Heart Attack

You can significantly increase the chances of survival of a person having a heart attack if you know what steps to take

Heart attack is regarded as one of the leading causes of death in humans. A heart attack can be lethal and warrants immediate medical attention. You can significantly increase the odds of survival of a person having a cardiac arrest, if you know what steps to take. Read on to find out more.

1. Call for Ambulance

If you find someone is having a heart attack, your first step should be to call an ambulance. A heart attack can only be treated by trained medical professionals and you must get the patient into the emergency room as soon as possible.

2. Identify Early

Symptoms of heart attack start surfacing a few hours before the actual attack, which may include cold sweat, fatigue, shortness of breath, intermittent pain in the chest and numbness or pain in the left arm. Identifying these symptoms early can help immensely in treating a heart attack.

Oxygen support or AED (automated external defibrillators) can also help greatly to increase the odds of survival for a heart attack patient.
Until medical assistance arrives, it is very important that you maintain your calm and keep following the requisite steps. The main aim is to prevent the patient’s condition from worsening until help arrives.