Online First Aid Class

Heart Attack

The leading cause of death in the world is heart disease, which accounts for over 17 million deaths per year. If someone shows signs of a heart attack, it is important to phone 9-1-1 as soon as possible, even if they refuse help or don’t want you to call. Treatments for heart attacks are more likely to be successful if they are used quickly, so the first minutes of the attack are the most important.

Heart attacks and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Although they are commonly thought to refer to the same condition, the terms heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest refer to two different heart problems.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked by a clot. During a heart attack, the heart usually continues to pump blood. A person suffering a heart attack may have pain or discomfort in the chest, neck, jaw, arms, or in the back between both shoulder blades. The longer a person suffering a heart attack goes without treatment, the greater the potential damage to the heart muscle. Sometimes, the damaged heart muscle may trigger an abnormal heart rhythm, leading to sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the result of abnormal heart rhythm, which causes the heart to quiver so that it can no longer pump blood to the brain, lungs, or other organs. The person can become unresponsive within seconds, and may be unable to breathe, or only able to gasp. Death can occur within minutes if the victim does not receive immediate life-saving treatment.

The ABC's of CPR have been modified and are now "CAB". The focus of CPR will now be on Circulation. Studies have shown that the sooner compressions are initiated the better the victim’s chance of survival. the newest guidelines emphasize giving compressions with minimal breaks for assessment and ventilations. many of the changes do not apply to professional level courses like this. Lay-Rescuers will no longer check for breathing or circulation. There have also been changes in the rate and depth of compressions. All updates are included in this Healthcare Provider level course.

Determine Responsiveness and Activate EMS

When you observe the victim, the first thing to do is determine if he or she is conscious. If victim is alert but experiencing possible signs and symptoms of a heart attack, tell the victim to lay down or sit quietly and call 911 To do this simply shake the victim and ask loudly; “Are you Okay?” Look, Listen and Feel for signs of normal breathing. Ignore agonal/gasping breaths. If no response and the victim is not breathing, act immediately. If you are alone with no mobile phone, leave the victim to activate the emergency response system and get the AED (if available) before returning to your victim and beginning CPR as quickly as possible. If you are not alone have someone else activate EMS immediately. Single someone out and instruct him or her to “CALL 911, them them we have an unconscious victim and come back. Do you understand?” If they do not respond, be sure to send someone else.

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Assessment To check for signs of circulation, find the carotid artery and check for a pulse for a full 10 seconds. The carotid can easily be found in the victim's neck. It is about an inch away from the cricoid cartilage in a depression on the side of the neck. Also look for other signs of circulation such as movement and color.
Assessment To check for signs of circulation, find the carotid artery and check for a pulse for a full 10 seconds. The carotid can easily be found in the victim's neck. It is about an inch away from the cricoid cartilage in a depression on the side of the neck. Also look for other signs of circulation such as movement and color.

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