12/09/2024
There is a post circulating about what to do in a heart attack and suggests coughing and other things is VERY BAD medical advice. Please do not share it.
The Dangerous Truth About Cough CPR
Coughing away a heart attack could delay medical help
The idea of cough CPR has been circulating the web for a few years now and has a slew of misinformation attached to it. The real danger about the misinformation is that it could prevent heart attack victims from getting the lifesaving help they need. Those social media posts claim that by coughing vigorously when you have a heart attack, you can keep yourself from passing out, theoretically saving yourself until your heart starts beating normally again.
Cardiac surgeon A. Marc Gillinov, MD, and cardiologist Steven Nissen, MD, address the dangerous truth about cough CPR and what you should do instead:
The facts
Heart attacks are not the same thing as cardiac arrest.
“Information regarding cough CPR on social media misleads readers,” says Dr. Gillinov. “This confuses heart attack and sudden cardiac death because they are two different things.”
Heart attacks occur when the heart’s oxygen supply gets cut off, which is usually caused by blockages in the cardiac arteries that feed the heart oxygen-rich blood. When you have a heart attack, tissue in the heart can die. However, your heart usually keeps on beating. Cough CPR is ineffective for heart attacks.
Cardiac arrest is the largest cause of natural death in the United States. During cardiac arrest, your heart can suddenly stop beating and serious irregularity in the heartbeat (arrhythmia) can cause this. You may have a higher risk of cardiac arrest if you had a previous heart attack.
“The bottom line is that cough CPR is not useful outside of a hospital setting,” says Dr. Nissen.
If you’re experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack, you should immediately call 911. Anyone who loses consciousness following cardiac arrest cannot cough, or even breathe, and needs emergency help.
If you want to learn proper CPR and life saving skills please sign up for a CPR course. We offer many different courses at different price points, dates and times.
Center for public Safety Training
570-954-2729
Cpstcpr@gmail.com
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