First Aid for Chest Pain

Chest pain may sound minor at first, but it can be the sign of a more serious problem. In some cases a person with chest pain may have had a history of heart attacks or other chest problems. By knowing the right methods of first aid for chest pain you can help a person who is suffering from pain and to help reduce the level of injury from chest pain.

The first part of first aid for chest pain is to recognize what the signs of chest pains are. Chest pains are normally identifiable by a person having shortness of breath and tight feelings. These can be signs of a possible heart attack in many cases.

When administering first aid for chest pain you will need to watch for certain things before calling for emergency help. If the person has had chest pains for a long period of time or there is a great amount of sweating coming with the chest pains then you will need to call for emergency help and get the person to a hospital. While first aid for chest pain can help, it is important to know when to contact a hospital to help get the victim’s oxygen and blood flow levels back to normal.

Part of first aid for chest pain involves determining if you should call for help or go to the hospital on your own. Chest pains can develop into heart attacks after about fifteen minutes, but if you are feeling chest pains and are alone you may need to drive yourself to the hospital. However, calling for emergency help can work because driving with chest pains is not always recommended.

One important part of first aid for chest pain is to make sure the victim is not doing anything to make the pain worse. If a person is having chest pains be sure to keep that person from doing anything and to have that person rest so that the pains do not become any more severe.

The windows in the area you are at should be opened. This is important for first aid for chest pain because fresh air will be let in. Also, CPR should be started on the victim.

Tight clothes that the victim may be wearing should be loosened so that circulation of blood and oxygen in the body will improve.

If a doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin for the chest pain victim be sure to get the person to take it according to the doctor’s orders. Aspirin can help if the chest pains are moving towards the neck or arms.

The last part of first aid for chest pain involves being able to get help as soon as possible. The amount of time between pains and a heart attack will be short if the heart is not beating well. If you are giving CPR you will need to alternate between CPR and thumping on the victim’s heart so that beating levels can increase.

Remember, first aid for chest pain caused by gas does not require such severe treatments. Antacids or soda water can help in these cases.