How can I survive a heart attack?

While there are few guarantees in life, an interesting 2010 study* published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet showed that simply inflating a blood pressure cuff around your arm when you’re having a heart attack may actually reduce the amount of permanent heart muscle damage by up to one half. Although it goes by the rather unwieldy name “remote ischemic pre-conditioning”, the technique (developed by an international team of researchers coordinated from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children) is described as "exquisitely simple, cheap, non-invasive and safe."

It involves inflating a standard blood pressure cuff for five minutes on the upper arm of someone having a heart attack, and deflating it for another five minutes, repeating the cycle four times. The Lancet reports that this procedure exploits the most powerful, inborn protective mechanism that the human body uses to protect its tissues from harm.   

Cutting off blood flow in the arm in short, brief bursts, then restoring it again causes the body to release a substance in the blood that sends a message around the entire body that something bad is about to happen. It warns and protects the heart from subsequent damage by triggering changes in heart cells so that they can better resist the lack of blood flow. It can also make white blood cells react less aggressively, causing less damage after the heart attack.

* The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9716, "Remote ischemic conditioning before hospital admission, as a complement to angioplasty, and effect on myocardial salvage in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a randomized trial" Pages 727 - 734, 27 February 2010 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)62001-8

Awareness is the key to surviving a heart attack. Patients who can identify the signs and symptoms of a heart attack early and seek immediate medical attention are more likely to survive. Typical symptoms include a heavy, squeezing sensation in the chest; chest pain or discomfort; shortness of breath; pain in the jaw or arms; nausea; vomiting; and/or cold sweats. Some patients, such as the elderly, diabetics and women, may have more mild vague symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms seek care as soon as possible. Getting help when a heart attack is just starting can limit its size and severity, and improve your chances of surviving.