February is American Heart Month!

Whether you’re an employee in the field or in an office, this information is imperative for you to know. If you or your coworker is experiencing symptoms, get help immediately.

Do you know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? The American Heart Association has a lot of great information!

Here’s the basics that they want you to know:

• “When you have a heart attack, you’re awake, and your heart is beating, and you don’t need CPR,” Newman said. “You just need to call 911 and get help. But with sudden cardiac arrest, their heart has stopped. And if no one intervenes quickly, they will die.”
• “Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly. Cardiac arrest is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). With its pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs.”
• “’The most important thing that a bystander can do is to recognize the issue and then act quickly by first calling 911, then doing CPR’ and calling for an automated external defibrillator, or AED, said Mary Newman, president and CEO of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation.” 
• Want to be proactive? Find more information on the American Heart Association’s CPR training classes in your area at heart.org/cpr.

Heart Attacks

A Heart Attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. A blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a section of the heart. If the blocked artery is not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by that artery begins to die. Symptoms include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, nausea, and more.

Most often, symptoms start slowly and persist for hours, days or weeks before a heart attack. Unlike with cardiac arrest, the heart usually does not stop beating during a heart attack. The longer the person goes without treatment, the greater the damage.

Know that the heart attack symptoms in women can be different than men (shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and/or back or jaw pain).

Colliers Engineering & Design wants you to be safe at work and at home. Know the signs of heart attacks and cardiac arrest, and get medical help as soon as you suspect a problem may exist.