Good advice or rubbish???

[Wightbaby]

I received a long text on Messenger from sensible well meaning friend....basically it is titled HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE.

I can't paste it in, as it is on my phone...but the gist is " If you think you are having a heart attack you have about 10 seconds before losing consciousness. Cough deeply and prolonged like when producing sputum from deep inside chest. Breath and repeat every 2 seconds until help arrives......the deep breaths squeeze the heart and helps it regain normal rhythm. Tell as many as possible to save lives. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail kindly sends it to 10 people, you can bet we will save one life!" You are then asked to FWD it....

What do you all think? Anyone else had this? I am rather sceptical of anything that comes through on my mobile anyway, and surely if coughing can help put the heart back into rhythm, we would all be doing this when we have an episode!!!

Volunteers.....any comments please??

[Hidden]

Well, I think that a really severe, prolonged bout of choking brought on my AF initially, so I'm thinking the heart can be affected by coughing... Snopes has really good info on this - to sum up, don't do it unless you really know what you're doing... snopes.com/medical/homecure...

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

Great find & good info - thanks x

[Wightbaby in reply to Hidden]

Hi...Thanks for replying......hope you are keeping well...not seen you on here for a while.

[Hidden in reply to Wightbaby]

I am good thank you, I hope you are too? I am around, I'm just very lurky

[Wightbaby in reply to Hidden]

Hi Eatsalottie...Thanks for replying......hope you are keeping well...not seen you on here for a while.

[Clarap60]

All I know is that if I have a severe coughing fit, or am sick it often triggers my AF!

Although if this is the cause as opposed to alcohol, or purely spontaneous (which rarely happens nowadays as I am well controlled), it usually self resolves without taking Flecainide.

The action of deep coughing probably also has something to do with stimulating the Vagus nerve . . . ???

[beardy_chris]

A heart attack is very different to AF. Coughing might affect your heart rhythm but that is not what the post is talking about. I think the link posted by Hidden says it all really.

[jeanjeannie50]

Yes, I've seen this information on Facebook many times. I just assumed it was true, but have just looked on the snopes link Eatsalottie has provided which gave interesting information. It appears that unless you are on the brink of passing out this coughing procedure shouldn't be attempted and also not by people who don't know quite what they're doing. That sounds like me!!!

Jean

[UScore]

Yeah it's chain mail nonsense. Usually passed on by well meaning people, but still nonsense.

[doodle68]

Please see this note on the BHF site about this 'myth email' ....

bhf.org.uk/heart-matters-ma...

[kevoreally]

If it ends with FWD this to thos you care about its MOST LIKELY BOGUS

[Buffafly in reply to kevoreally]

And don't forward it because they will not thank you when they are hacked!

[Wightbaby]

Mixed responses then, but most dismiss it...thanks to all who answered and to Eatsalottie who supplied the useful link!

[Hertbeat321]

Yes there's some truth In it, and we recommend if with another person get you back against a wall bring your knees up and squeeze them get an aspirin chewed if you not allergic to them And not on blood thinners already,

When my patients heart rate goes real low, and they are still conscious I shake em gently and say give me a big cough please, and if heart still obviously I'm in a theatre setting so respond with usually drugs, lot of the time stimulating procedures is enough.

[Arveno]

It can not make it worse or damage so why not try it?

[psage in reply to Arveno]

yes, it can make i worse. because it's not medical advice, it's a chain letter. see snopes.com ad the other link provided. never take advice from the internet without checking with your own doctor first.

[Arveno in reply to psage]

If I would be alone at forest (or somewhere) and suffered heart at attack I would not have time or ability to seek medical advice or help. Unfortunately..So I would try it. But it is me. Wish you best luck for such situation.

[Bagrat]

I read having researched this that there is one specific rare arrythmia that this MIGHT help. I can't think it could help otherwise except to give you something to do!!

[Wightbaby]

Has anyone had a problem with the link that Eatsalottie suggested?.....its a weird site!

[psage in reply to Wightbaby]

snopes.com? its a well-known site that checks out internet rumors and stories, urban myths. it's not weird, it's legit.

[psage]

the American Heart Association advice is 'no!' --heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditio...

[Emgee]

I received this same advice passed on from well-meaning friends, about 2 years ago in 2015 - and researched it with a few Health sites and Heart Associations. I was informed that 'the coughing method' was not recommended and this advice should be disregarded.

Just delete the advice or inform your friends who also received it to disregard... Hope this helps.

Emgee

[LindaDaisy]

If I had 10 seconds warning I think dialling 999 would be more likely to save my life.