First aid for cardiac arrest

Unfortunately, no one is immune from stress and a number of different causes, which often lead to heart attacks and even death. At the same time, first aid in case of cardiac arrest is considered a mandatory resuscitation measure. Diseases of this kind and unforeseen situations kill thousands of victims every day. But death due to sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest in many cases could be prevented, especially if you know what measures should be taken.

How to understand that the heart has stopped

First aid for cardiac arrest is a necessary measure designed to save human life.

Manifestations include:

• lack of pulse. To make sure that there is no pulse, you should put your fingers on the carotid artery, which is the largest. If the pulsation is not heard, resuscitation can be carried out;
• loss of breath. For diagnostic purposes, a mirror is brought to the nose. In addition, externally by the movement of the chest, this early symptom should be noticeable;
• Another sign that accompanies cardiac arrest is dilated pupils. At the same time, a person has no reaction to light: if you bring a flashlight to your eyes and do not notice a narrowing, then this will just indicate a stop in myocardial function;

• change in skin color on the face. If the skin becomes bluish, then this indicates impaired blood circulation. If the situation with this symptomatology is more serious, then the provision of both first aid for cardiac arrest and follow-up measures is a necessity;
• fainting (or, as it is also called, loss of consciousness) with a duration of 15-20 seconds. It occurs as a result of ventricular fibrillation. You can try to get a person out of the state by patting on the cheeks or loud screams. If there is no reaction, then (most likely) the person will need resuscitation in case of cardiac arrest.

According to statistics, people die every year due to cardiac and respiratory arrest in Russia. As for the quantity, there are as many of them as could be settled in the whole city.

But in order to achieve at least some result, it is necessary to have a certain amount of information and practical skills: emergency care (including cardiac arrest) is quite possible through the efforts of a non-specialist. Otherwise, it will not be possible to save a person.

First aid

When you have to deal with a patient whose heart has begun to stop, then he needs to be given emergency care, you should act without delay.

The time that can be counted on is 7 minutes.

In this case, the situation can be resolved without a detrimental effect on the patient's body. If, for a maximum of 10 minutes, a person cannot be resuscitated, then the development of pathologies of the nervous and mental plan should be expected. In other words, if a cardiac arrest occurred, and first aid was provided out of time, then this (most likely) will lead to a person's disability and a complete loss of his legal capacity.

So, what to do with cardiac arrest, which is of a primary nature?

First you need to restore the process of breathing and pulse - this will lead to the launch of blood flow. Together with blood, oxygen replenishment of tissues and organs occurs at the cellular level. It should be noted that without it the existence of the organism is impossible. First of all, it concerns the brain.

First aid can save a person's life. That is why, when making an emergency call and waiting for an ambulance, you should not be inactive. You need to know how to help.

After making sure that a person is unconscious, you can take the following measures:

• lay the ward on the floor, throwing his head back;
• clear the nasal passages from mucus;

• perform artificial respiration;
• perform a pericardial blow to the middle of the chest. It is necessary to ensure that it does not fall into the heart region, as this will invariably lead to an aggravation of the situation;
• resort to external cardiac massage.

When performing these manipulations, you should periodically monitor the condition of the victim: check the pulse, respiratory process and the state of the pupils. If breathing occurs, some resuscitation measures can be stopped. But the stimulation of the lungs will need to be continued. Cardiac massage will need to be done until the skin acquires a natural shade.

Medical care for cardiac arrest

The provision of both first aid for cardiac arrest and subsequent actions by doctors are performed by slightly different methods, although the main tasks are identical. A ventilation mask is used to restore breathing and patency of the sinuses. If it does not help, then tracheal incubation is used by installing a special tube.

Starting the heart muscle is carried out using a defibrillator. In addition, when implementing resuscitation measures, doctors resort to urgent drug therapy.

Among the drugs used are:

1. Adrenalin.
2. Atropine.
3. Lidocaine.
4. Bicarbonate of soda.
5. Calcium.
6. Magnesium sulfate.

Unfortunately, after a heart attack and resuscitation from cardiac arrest, the survival rate is 30%. The reason for this is untimely assistance.