e-mail Heart Attack advice
 

A Powerpoint presentation is currently doing the rounds purporting to advise what you should do if you think you're having a heart attack when alone. The advice is to cough violently. While this may seem logical (the violent coughs kick-starting the heart) this isn't quite true.

Cough CPR as it's known is real but it is as yet not entirely proven to be effective (though initial tests are positive) However, this technique has only ever been used under strict medical supervision. The reason is that, performed incorrectly or inappropriately, it can stop the heart instead of restarting it.

Snopes has a detailed article on the issue here with links to websites of reputable organisations in the field. Given the potential dangers I thought it best to share this with the AG community.

If you think you're having a heart attack, you should call 911, take some aspirin, and sit quietly in a chair until the paramedics show up.

I haven't read the article you're talking about, but I do know what happens *during* a heart attack, and I don't see how coughing would have any effect. Heart attacks happen because an artery in the heart is blocked and blood can't get through it to the other side of the heart. That side is deprived of oxygen. Coughing isn't going to change the fact that there's a blockage in the artery. When someone goes into cardiac arrest -- which is completely different -- the heart goes into a crazy fast rhythm and then stops. I can see how, in theory, jumpstarting the heart would work (that's when they put the paddles on and yell "Clear!" on ER). But when you go into cardiac arrest you tend to drop to the ground and die soon after, so I don't really see someone having the presence of mind to cough.

-emily (not a doctor, but I play one on TV)

ps Okay, I looked at the Snopes thing. "The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm." Heart attack has nothing to do with abnormal rhythm. What kind of idiots come up with this stuff?

Man, that's frightening, precisely because you have no idea if that technique will help you or kill you. And in a vitally critical moment it's literally a life and death choice on top of all the panicking.