Cardiovascular Emergencies: Awareness And Precautions To Handle The Situation

Cardiovascular diseases refer to the conditions that include the blocked or limited veins that can trigger a heart attack, stroke or chest pain. A global study has brought to light the astonishing fact that India is leading in the number of casualties from heart failure with a whopping 22-24 percent of the patients with heart ailments not surviving as compared to that of 7-8 percent of the Chinese population who are suffering from similar conditions.

Functioning Of the Heart

The heart works in the same way as other muscles of the body. For the proper functioning, the heart requires optimum amount of blood supply for the sufficient supply of oxygen so that it can contract and draw blood from the rest of the body.

The heart is not only responsible for making the blood reach the rest of the body but through the coronary supply routes it also directs blood to itself. From the base of the aorta which is the vein that conveys the blood that is oxygenated from the heart, these supply routes originate. Post that they branch out along the heart surface.

Must read: Blood circulation and its importance for healthy living

Sometimes one or more of these coronary arteries may get blocked because of a kind of plaque that is responsible for causing cracks. Naturally, when one of the coronary arteries is completely blocked it actually forms blood coagulation and the blood supply to some of the portion of the heart can be blocked because of this. As a result of that, a bit of heart muscle can be lost that gives rise to the condition of heart attack.

Symptoms Of Heart Attack

The most common and classic symptoms to take note of and be aware that you are having a heart attack is when you feel a chest pain with tremendous pressure on your chest. This may also include a full or a squeezing sensation. This is usually accompanied by pain in the backs, both arms, necks and stomach.

There are also some other signs apart from the ones mentioned above like nausea, shortness of breath, light-heartedness, vomiting and breaking down while being drenched in cold sweat.    

Must read: Warning signs and ways of preventiing a stroke from ocurring

Though the pressure and the chest pain are primary manifestations of a heart attack, ladies are more probable than men to witness and experience some other forms of symptoms as well. Some women may also experience the other symptoms like �

• Nausea
• Light-headedness
• Extreme Fatigue
• Palpitations
• Chest Pain
• Shortness of Breath
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Pressure in the upper back

How To React And Manage Emergencies Related To The Heart

As said earlier, Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is an unexpected and sudden death caused by an abnormal rhythm of the heart. This occurs because of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. But once you face the symptoms you should take some steps immediately to manage and keep the situation in control.

It is said that Sudden Cardiac Arrest can be reversed if the right steps can be taken in the first few minutes. So here are a few steps that you can follow when emergency strikes.

Be Prepared for an Emergency Before it Happens

This is something for the patient. You should know the location of the local hospital and also the phone number that you can call at the time of emergency. You should always keep the emergency phone numbers in the central and visible location at your house so that if someone comes to your help he or she can immediately contact a loved one after calling the medical care facility.

Inquire of Any Medication Taken by the Patient

You should also inquire if the patient takes any chest pain medication like that of nitroglycerin for a particular condition of their heart and make them take it.

Try to Contact the Emergency Number Immediately

Call your local emergency number or the emergency medical care number which is 112 in most cases, without any delay. This way you can expect help soon and you can feel relieved that you have to manage the situation for just sometime and the professionals will come for your help soon.

Go for Early CPR

Learning CPR can save a life. If you are witnessing someone getting a heart attack, it can become an emergency to provide CPR.  You are required to give CPR if there is no pulse and the person is unconscious.  The medical instructor can actually instruct you about how to do it if you do not know it. Continue to deliver the CPR until the ambulance arrives.

Professional After Care

Remember that even if you are able to prevent the heart attack you should immediately take the patient to the hospital. A thorough check up and aftercare including proper medicines bought from a reputedand reliable online medical store will prevent or decrease the chances of future occurrences extensively.

The above steps can increase the survival chances of the patient to a great extent if these are initiated within the first few minutes. Each minute longer you take survival chances decreases by 10-11 percent for the patient.  So keep these in mind, maintain your calm and act accordingly when you face such a situation.

Author Bio:

Hi! I�m Akshay Sharma. I�m a blogger at Imagination Waffle. I love to read and write about Fitness, Health & Lifestyle topics.