American Heart Association (AHA) and
ASHI adult chain of survival depict critical actions required to
treat life threatening emergencies.
Once you have detected an emergency case immediately provide
early access to emergency response system, early CPR, early
defibrillation and early advanced care for the individual needing
your help.
The common disease that needed emergency support is heart attack.
As we know heart attack occurs when the heart muscle does not fully
oxygenated or receive enough oxygen and the heart muscles stats to
die. A heart attack is caused by blockage of artery especially the
coronary artery, which is the major blood vessels that provides blood
and oxygen to the heart muscle. Acute myocardial infarction is the
medical term for heart attack. Heart attack does not occur instantly
without factors that contribute to its existence. Risk factors such
as hereditary, gender and age are the major ones that contributory to
it, including the smoking, high blood pressure, diet, exercise,
diabetes mellitus, obesity, stress and elevated cholesterol worsen
the condition of heart attack.
To easily know that the case is heart attack signs and symptoms
be identified. Warnings of signs and symptoms of heart attack are
such:
- Severe sweating
- Nausea
- Chest discomfort
- Feeling of indigestion
- Shortness of breath
- Pain, numbness or tingling in the arms
- Pain in the upper back between the shoulder blades that lasts
longer than 2 minutes.
In cardiac arrest, blood flow stops and the brain, heart and
other organs are deprived of oxygen supply. The victim will become
unconscious and unresponsive and will have no adequate breathing , no
signs of circulation and pulse. Victims in cardiac arrest often gasps
for breath, these gasping are termed agonal respiration.
Agonal respiration will not maintain oxygenation or ventilation so
the gasping victim is not efficiently breathing. The signs of cardiac
arrest are no response, inefficient breathing, and no signs of
circulation.
When risk factors in the heart attack does not change or improve,
especially high cholesterol levels, obesity and high BP, these may
lead to destruction of major organs in the body. The brain which is
the center of all processes will be greatly affected.. When this
happen the body will shutdown instantly, whenever an emergency care
has not provided. The bleeding or blockage of the vessels in the
brain that cause deprivation of oxygen supply into the brain can
lead to stroke. Stroke or aneurysm is the rapid onset of neurological
problems that can be developed when a blood vessel in the brain
becomes blocked so that an area of the brain receives no blood and
oxygen or it can develop when blood vessel in the brain ruptures and
bleeds into the brain.
Signs and symptoms of stroke are the following:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg especially
on one side of the the body.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
