How to survive heart attack when you’re alone

Many heart attacks are survivable, especially if you’ve taken the time to prepare yourself. Anyone who thinks they’re at risk for a heart attack should get a complete medical evaluation as soon as possible.

Recognise heart attack symptoms.

Shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest, and pain in the neck or radiating down the arms are all associated with an attack.

African American man holding his chest.

Pull over if you suffer an attack while driving. You may only have seconds before you lose consciousness. Don’t try to drive to the hospital no matter how close you are.

Call for medical help and describe what symptoms you’re feeling and where you are located.

Take an aspirin (325 mg) at the first sign of an attack. Aspirin makes blood platelets less likely to stick to each other, assisting blood flow and reducing clots.

Attempt the cough CPR

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help,the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However,these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

Take deep breaths

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two 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.