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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
Faced with a person who seems to be having a heart attack, is there a way to simply stop the harm and avoid the worst? We asked the question to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo.
Myocardial infarction, commonly called a heart attack, occurs when a coronary artery becomes blocked. “Myocardial infarction is defined as the necrosis of a more or less large part of the heart muscle, when this area is no longer irrigated by the coronary arteries normally supplying it with the oxygen carried by the blood.details the French Federation of Cardiology.
A situation far from rare: around 100,000 myocardial infarctions are counted each year in France, causing 12,000 deaths. But if this happens, what can we do and is there a way to stop the process altogether?
We can’t stop a heart attack, but we can act!
Unfortunately, despite many hoaxes on the subject, there is no effective way to stop a myocardial infarction.
“It is not possible to stop a myocardial infarction once it has started. All the hoaxes on the internet like coughing, or straining with a closed glottis, etc. are useless. It is an irreversible process that cannot be stopped” confirms our emergency doctor.
However, it is possible to limit the extent of the damage by acting quickly to limit the damage and increase the victim’s chances of survival. Faced with a suspected heart attack, our expert reminds us of the only good reflexes to keep:
- Call emergency services immediately (center 15) to receive hospital treatment (oxygen therapy, medication to unblock the artery, angioplasty, etc.);
- Practice first aid procedures (heart massagedefibrillation) while waiting for help to arrive to maintain minimum blood flow in the event of cardiac arrest.
“The challenge is to act quickly to preserve the heart muscle as much as possible and avoid serious complications such as cardiac arrest.”
How do you recognize a myocardial infarction?
But how to recognize a heart attack in order to act as quickly as possible? “It is generally a very intense pain located right in the middle of the thorax (behind the sternum), an agonizing sensation of tightness, of oppression initially evolving in waves or, immediately, brutally.explains the French Federation of Cardiology.
Pain that lasts more than 20 minutes can also radiate to the throat, jaws, shoulder, arms, and sometimes the wrists.
Other symptoms may be added:
- Intense fatigue;
- Sweats;
- Pallor;
- Shortness of breath;
- Palpitations;
- A faintness ;
- Digestive signs (nausea and vomiting).
- A feeling of imminent death.
But these symptoms vary from one person to another. In women, respiratory and digestive symptoms are frequently at the forefront.
Finally, loss of consciousness or cardiac and respiratory arrest can occur within the first minutes.
“It is sudden death by ventricular fibrillation which can be recovered by application in extreme emergency of an external electric shock using a defibrillator automatic as found in many public spaces” details the French Federation of Cardiology.