Having a heart attack

[Admin]

You're flying along and suddenly you start having a heart attack - you know that you only have a matter of seconds before you're going to black out.

 

What do you do?

 

 

[facthunter]

Heart attack options

 

Ian , there are some actions that have been documented that are considered helpfull. Are you after a serious response? N...

 

 

[Admin]

Hi Neville

 

One of the objectives of these forums is to have a learning environment to help others with information that they may not have otherwise known, so yes I am after a serious answer.

 

The reason I posted this question was that I came across something that a person may possibly be able to do to maybe at least get the aircraft on the ground and save theirs and other people's lives and I was hoping to start a dialogue to this effect.

 

So any suggestions?

 

 

[facthunter]

Heart attack actions

 

Ok .Give me some time and I will see if I can come up with some good info. Don't let that stop others from responding in the meantime. Nev..

 

 

[PaulN]

Not that I expect to need to know this any time soon, but am looking fwd to learning more about this.

 

My initial (uneducated) response would be to make a Mayday call (if able), point the a/c away from any built up area and descend in the hope of putting down before it's all over :;)5:

 

Paul

 

 

[Guest AusDarren]

This explains what to do..

 

After saying "handing over" to your co pilot..

 

If your flying solo or with a Non flyer.. PRAY while you cough

 

its a power point presentation. you may need to right click and save as to get it to work

 

http://www.lattas.com.au/RAAus/HeartAttack.ppt

 

 

[Admin]

Thanks Darren - that was the one that I was referring to - I wonder whether that is real or not

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Inform pax of what is happening, radio call to radar/area freq, try to find landing area while still in control, if not ask and instruct pax. Failing all this, call me and I will come out with the van and get an after hours call out fee for getting your lifeless body. I know that sounds harsh but all jokes aside, if I were solo I really think I would panic. A heart-attack is apparently quite distressing and painful. Try to fly, have a look at the situation and let your good airmanship and cool-headedness take over. A good hypo Ian!

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Sadly this "fixit" is NOT REAL.

 

I saw this one a month or so ago, and asked a Clinical Nurse Specialist about it. She runs the A&E at Royal Melb and she could not stop laughing, saying it was the best bit of bull dust she has seen in ages.

 

As most folks know, a heart attack is essentially caused by blood vessels on the heart being clogged (THIS is the five minute version, okay..) and resulting in heart muscle death.

 

Such events cause a change in the electrical activity of the heart, and when it gets out of synch - a process called fibrillation, where the heart is essentially behaving like a writhing bag of worms, no blood is effectively being pumped around the body.

 

CPR simply keeps the blood pumping around, until the electrical rhythm can be jump started using a defibrillator.

 

If the patient has a cardiac arrest, and is non breathing (and is assumed therefore to have no pulse) the patient will need to have their breathing AND heart artificially carried out for them until defibrillation takes place.

 

Now the figures (from St John Ambulance).. if defibrillation takes place within ONE minute of the arrest, there is a 90% survival rate. This survivability drops at the rate of 10% per minute, so making a 10 minute arrest with CPR being applied almost non survivable.

 

For those who attended the CASA talk at Shepp last year, they may remember the good doctor who stated that for "30% of heart attack patients, the first symptom is sudden death."

 

For those a bit stunned, may I suggest having a chat with your GP (and having a checkup as well) and for those interested in learning more about it, contact your state branch of St John Ambulance, who are perhaps the leaders in teaching first aid, and advanced resus skills including how to use defib machines.

 

BTW, St Johns in Victoria provide a volunteer first aid service to many community and sporting events, and are a common sight at the MCG and other major venues. St Johns is also behind moves to establish defib machines that are simple to use at places such as the G, where they have already saved a number of lives.

 

For further info; http://www.sjaa.com.au/courses/index.cfm

 

and a couple of success stories;

 

http://www.stjohnvic.com.au/news/releases.cfm?release=20070102

 

http://www.stjohnvic.com.au/news/releases.cfm?release=20070108

 

Ben

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

And now for another cigarette...

 

 

[Guest AusDarren]

thanks Ben for your Comprehensive reply!

 

 

[peter]

just to make life complete around 10 per cent of myocardial infarcts are silent -- NO PAIN !!!

 

I liked the reply which said call Mayday and land the plane ASAP, most infarcts are not instantly fatal so there is always hope. The pain may be anything from slight dullness to overwhelming so you may well be able to fly the plane quite well.Currently working in A&E at Broken Hill and I see plenty of people who have had their pain for many hours before presenting and many of them walk in!

 

so give up the fags, walk/run/exercise everyday and enjoy life while you can

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

so give up the fags

:;)1: Maybe one day. Interesting, slightly off topic though I have asked many nurses and doctors at pal care hospitals which I often attend how many of the patients are there from smoking related cancers.Interesting to note it's few and far between.Most have never touched a ciggie.

 

 

[facthunter]

Fags

 

Smoking is a dying habit anyhow. N.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Was that a joke? Here is some useless info:

 

Australian adult smoking rates

 

Smoking rates among adults in Australia and Victoria have declined over the past two to three decades. Per capita cigarette consumption in Australia has also declined since the mid 1970s. In the latest Australian survey, younger age groups (18-29 years old) have the highest rates of smoking. A higher percentage of Australian men smoke compared to women in all age groups. People in less wealthy socio-economic groups have higher smoking rates. Past surveys have shown that people with less education have higher smoking rates.

 

Australian secondary school student rates

 

Smoking rates for Australian and Victorian secondary school students have not shown a clear trend either up or down for the past two decades. However, the 2002 survey shows decreases in the smoking rates for Australian school students and for Victorian school students aged 12 to 15 years. These smoking rates were the lowest in the history of these surveys.

 

Social costs of tobacco

 

In 1998/99 the total social costs of tobacco use in Australia were $21.1 billion. This includes costs to government, business and smokers and their families.

 

Interest in quitting

 

A composite measure of quitting intentions and behaviour shows a progression towards stopping smoking. International smoking rates

 

A sample of smoking rates have been provided for adults and youth from different countries, however they should not be directly compared as they are taken from different years using different age groups and data collection techniques.

 

 

[facthunter]

Joke?

 

Yes. It's light-hearted. Meant to be a play on words. Seriously though,one of the worst nightmares that I occasionally have is to dream that I have taken them up again. It's a relief to find no ashtrays with butts in. N....

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I'm a plan idiot. I gave up for 9months then took it up again.

 

 

[Admin]

The good thing about smoking is that it has been proven that smokers do not get alzheimers

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

The good thing about smoking is that it has been proven that smokers do not get alzheimers

That and eat lots of seafoods and you can avoid it that way too.

 

 

[Guest Rocko]

Call Mr Bean!

 

Heart attack while flying?

 

Didn't that happen to Rowan Atkinson and his family a few years ago?

 

Pilot of the small aircraft he was in while vacationing in Kenya had a heart attack, and he had to take over the controls, without any experience, for several minutes, until the pilot recovered enough to land it?

 

Not lacking in heroics at all, is Mr Atkinson!

 

Although I can honestly say having the pilot out cold, and having Mr Bean take over the controls, would probably have me following the pilot in a coronary!

 

Scotty

 

http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2001/may/7-11.pdf

 

 

[tcsmith]

Re; Heart attacks

 

I had congestive heart failure a year ago. Woke up one morning with sweats, pain on front and back of chest. Told my partner that she had 5 minutes to get me to Box Hill hospital (vic).

 

She stopped at a red light and i asked her what she was doing. She had never run a red light before.

 

I was on the operating table within half hour of arrival, had 2 attacks in 2 days. I now have 2 Stents (perforated Titanium tubes) fitted. A few months of losing weight and exercise, and I am now on yearly checks.

 

I am on medication for ever.I have started flying again, dual at present, but I will be be going back on the PPL in a couple of months.

 

1. I ignored warnings I did not identify for about a month, thought it was back pain.

 

2. I could have controlled an aircraft for an Hour or so maximum, though uncomfortable.

 

3. The Rehab people tell me that the suspect age for australian males is 45 to 65 years If you are overweight, or in that age group, please get yourself checked

 

4. They are getting very good at Angioplasty these days, so it is not necessarily a death sentence.

 

Regards Terry:)

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Very true Terry.Don't ignore the warning signs.Gran has had a few stents put in aswell.Miracles of medicine if you ask me.And don't think you are ever too young to have a heart attack. In my line of work we see patients in their teens and early twenties having heart attacks.Some genetic, some due to obesity.In regards to obesity there is another potential thread, if not forum to that one.Since losing 5kg in the last few months I feel much happier within myself.Low carb diet I believe to be the secret.Low carb beers, plenty of exercise,less quantity in meals has made a dramatic difference.My aim by the end of the year is to be at 80kg.I am 178cm.