With
the arrival of snow shoveling season many suffer a heart
attack while shoveling. Awareness of what to look for is essential
for survival.
What is a Heart Attack?
A
Heart occurs when a coronary artery (an artery that supplies the
heart itself
with blood) is blocked.
Without
blood and the oxygen within it part of the heart dies. It
is possible to survive a heart if a small enough area of the heart
is affected.
What to look for?
Squeezing
chest pain
Problems
breathing
Abdominal
or back pain (more common in women)
Cold,
sweaty skin
Skin
that bluish or paler than normal
nausea
and vomiting
jaw
pain
Denial
Women,
elderly and those with diabetes tend to experience softer
signs:
Chest
discomfort that comes and goes,
gets better with rest,
gets worse with activity,
doesn't feel like pain,
start mild and gets
continually stronger.
What to do?
Call
911 and get an AED
Have
the person rest comfortably
If
the person has medication for this assist them in taking it.
Monitor
their ABC's