Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins
to feel Faint, has only about 10 seconds 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. 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 phone and, between breaths, call for help. Tell as many other
people as possible about this, it could save their lives!
>From Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240's newsletter
AND THE BEAT GOES ON...