Know if it is a Heart Attack or Heart Failure and CPR Training Nashville Programs

Heart attack and heart failure can both be mixed up easily. But there are big differences in what causes these conditions and how they make you feel. It is important for you to know about the condition that you have which will help guide your doctor in making an effective treatment plan for you. It is mainly heart disease which leads to a heart failure or occurrence of a cardiac arrest or heart attack. The best way to deal with cardiac emergencies is by undergoing CPR training Nashville. In the classes, students would be imparted training in the life-saving procedures comprising of chest compressions and rescue breaths. Proper application of the techniques can lead to the survival of a victim in the middle of a cardiac emergency. 

You can sign up for a program at the AHA accredited CPR Nashville. At the end of the training classes, a student will be eligible for a certification after successfully passing a skills test and a written exam. 

Having a heart attack means that the flow of blood to your ticker is suddenly blocked whereas heart failure is a long-term problem which happens when the heart doesn’t pump enough blood through the body to meet its needs. 

How it Feels if it’s a Heart Attack

You may get some of the below-mentioned symptoms:

Chest Discomfort- You may have a sense of squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of your chest which could last for more than a few minutes, or it might go away and come back.

Pain in the Upper Body- You might feel uncomfortable in one or both arms or your back, neck, jaw or stomach. 

Shortness of Breath- You may feel this with or without chest discomfort.

How it Feels if it’s Heart Failure

1.      Shortness of breath

2.      Persistent cough or wheeze

3.      Swelling in your feet, ankles, legs, or belly

4.      Weight gain

5.      Fatigue

6.      Lack of appetite or nausea

7.      Faster heart rate

Causes of Heart Attack

1.      It is a “coronary heart disease” that increases the chances for someone to get a cardiac arrest or heart attack. Waxy plaque builds up on the insides of your blood vessels, which gradually narrows the passageway, this takes places over the course of an individual’s life. Doctors call this process atherosclerosis and it speeds up when an individual is obese, the person smokes or has high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or diabetes. 

2.      Sometimes plaque gathers in the coronary arteries -- the pipelines that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.

3.      Sometimes all or part of the plaque breaks off the inside of the vessel wall, where it's been lodged, and causes a blood clot. It can completely cut off the blood flow through the artery, if it gets big enough.

4.      Cells in the heart starts to die since your blood no longer carries oxygen from the lungs to the heart. The heart muscle not getting enough oxygen or nutrients is referred to as ischemia. A part of the heart muscle getting damaged leads to a heart attack.

Causes of Heart Failure

A healthy heart moves blood steadily through your lungs to pick up oxygen, then back out into the rest of your body. With heart failure, something goes wrong with the process during which the heart muscle pumps more quickly than usual and doesn’t move as much blood. 

Just like heart attack, the most common cause is coronary artery disease when the coronary artery narrows thus cutting the blood flow leading to weakening of the heart. 

A few other things that play a role in heart failure include genetics, infections, chemotherapy, alcohol or drug-abuse, abnormal heart rhythms and long-term diseases like diabetes, HIV and hypothyroidism. 

You should consult your doctor in order to have a proper treatment plan in place.

For undergoing CPR training Nashville at CPR Nashville, either register online or call on 615-397-9316 for registration.