Let's say it's 6:15
p.m. and you're driving home (alone of course), after a hard day on
the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Then, suddenly,
you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate
out into your arm and up into your jaw. You may be only about five
miles from the hospital nearest your home; unfortunately you don't
know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do? You've
been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected to
tell you how to perform it on yourself. Since many people are alone
when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed to be in order.
Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and who
begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing
consciousness. These victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly
and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough.
The cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from
deep inside the chest. And a cough must be repeated about every 2
seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt
to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs
and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.
The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm.
In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many
other people as possible about this, it could save their lives! AND
THE BEAT GOES ON
From Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240s newsletter
AND THE BEAT GOES ON...
(reprint from The Mended Hearts, Inc. publication, Heart Response)
BE A FRIEND AND PLEASE SEND THIS ARTICLE TO AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE.
