Heart attack first aid

Alternative names:

first aid for heart attack; first aid for cardiopulmonary arrest; first aid for cardiac arrest

Definition:

A heart attack is a condition in which damage to an area of heart muscle occurs because of an inadequate supply of oxygen to that area. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart is not pumping strongly enough to provide blood to vital organs. Cardiopulmonary arrest is sudden cessation of breathing and of effective heart function.

Considerations:

Heart attack is the leading cause of death in America today.

Heart attacks may cause immediate cardiac arrest or may progress to cardiac arrest. However, not every heart attack causes cardiac arrest.

Many people die before they reach a hospital. The average person waits three hours before seeking help for symptoms of a heart attack. The sooner you get to the emergency room, the better your chance of not only surviving, but of lessening the damage done to your heart.

Common causes:

In adults, causes include clot formation or spasm in one of the arteries that supply the heart muscle (a coronary artery). These and other similar conditions block the supply of oxygen to an area of the heart, leading to damage or death of the cells in that area. Most often, this occurs in a coronary artery that has been narrowed from changes related to atherosclerosis.

Other causes for cardiac arrest may include drowning, suffocation, electrical shock, severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), drug overdose, and trauma.

Babies and children rarely suffer heart attacks. Atherosclerotic heart disease is extremely rare in infants and children. The primary cause for cardiac arrest in children is respiratory arrest. This may occur for a number of reasons including drowning, suffocation, electrical shock, anaphylaxis, poisoning, illness, and foreign body aspiration.

Updated Date: 02/09/00

Updated By:J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director, Utah Health Informatics and adam.com editorial