Cardiac Emergencies Objectives 1. Identify the common cause of a heart attack 2. List signs and symptoms of a heart attack 3. Identify the care for a heart attack 4. Recognize the primary signs of cardiac arrest 5. Describe the purpose of CPR 6. Be able to perform CPR 7. List conditions in which a rescuer may stop CPR

Heart Attack Like all living tissue, the cells of the heart need a continuous supply of oxygen. The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. If the heart is deprived of this blood, it dies. If enough of the muscle dies, the heart cannot circulate blood effectively, causing a heart attack. A heart attack interferes with the heart ’ s electrical and mechanical systems. This interference may result in an irregular heartbeat, which may prevent blood from circulating effectively.

Common Cause of a Heart attack A Heart attack is usually the result of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease).  This is the leading cause of death for adults over 44 years of age in the U.S.  70 million Americans suffer from this.  1 million deaths annually/500,000 are due to heart attacks  Cardiovascular disease develops slowly. Fatty deposits of cholesterol and other material may gradually build up on the inner walls of the arteries.

Signs and Symptoms 1. Persistent chest pain or discomfort, sometimes confused with indigestion, (a muscle spasms) 2. Heart burn to unbearable crushing pain 3. Breathes noisily, short of breath, faster than normal 4. Skin = ashen, pale, bluish - profuse sweating 5. Nausea/vomit

Care for a Heart attack 1. Recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack 2. Call EMS 3. Convince the victim to stop activity and rest 4. Help the victim rest comfortably 5. Comfort victim 6. Assist the victim with medication, if prescribed (Nitroglycerin - vasodilator) 7. Be prepared to give CPR if the victim ’ s heart stops beating.

Cardiac Arrest/Common Causes Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating or beats too ineffectively to generate a pulse and blood cannot be circulated.  Cardiovascular disease is the most common.  Drowning, suffocation, and certain drugs can cause breathing to stop, which will soon lead to cardiac arrest.  Severe injuries to the chest or severe blood loss can also cause the heart to stop.  Electrocution disrupts the heart ’ s electrical activity  Stroke or other types of brain damage can also stop the heart

Purpose of CPR A victim who is not breathing and has no pulse is said to be clinically dead. However, the cells of the brain and other vital organs will continue to live for a short period of time until oxygen is depleted. This victim needs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Without CPR, the brain will begin to die within 4 to 6 minutes. This irreversible damage caused by brain cell death is known as biological death.

Adult/Child CPR After doing the primary survey and you discover the victim is not breathing and does not have a pulse, begin CPR.  30 compressions/2 breaths  Adult - Compress chest at least 2 inches  Child – Compress chest about 2 inches  Compress at a rate of at least 100 times/min

Infant CPR Infant  Maintain head-tilt with hand on forehead  Place pads of fingers below imaginary line running across chest connecting nipples. Relax your fingers.  30 compressions/2 breaths  Compress chest about 1 ½ inches  Compress at a rate of 100 times/ min

Do Not Stop CPR unless: 1. You see an obvious sign of life such as breathing. 2. An AED is ready to use. 3. Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over. 4. You are too exhausted to continue. 5. The scene becomes unsafe.