HEART ATTACK Survival When Alone: For the last year an email has been circulated on the Internet entitled "How to Survive a Heart Attack When Alone." The source of information for this article was attributed to ViaHealth Rochester General Hospital. This article recommended a procedure to survive a heart attack in which the victim, among other things, is advised to repeatedly cough at regular intervals until help arrives. The source of information for this article was attributed to ViaHealth Rochester General Hospital. There is no record that an article even resembling this was produced by Rochester General Hospital within the last 20 years. Furthermore, the medical information listed in the article can not be verified by current medical literature and is in no way condoned by that hospital's medical staff. Also, both The Mended Hearts, Inc. dbonham@heart.org , a support organization for heart patients, and the American Heart Association have said that this information should not be forwarded or used by anyone.

If you are alone and think you are having a heart attack things you can do are:

-- Stop all physical activity and sit and rest

-- Contact your physician's office immediately to report symptoms and receive further instruction

-- If there is any delay in contacting your physician, and your pain persists, call 911 and proceed immediately by ambulance to the nearest hospital for evaluation and treatment.

-- If you have known coronary artery disease and experience chest pain, sit and rest, place one nitroglycerin under your tongue and then call your physician's office.

-- Wait 5 minutes and take another nitroglycerin if you still have chest pain.

-- Follow your physician's instructions. If there is any delay in receiving instructions and you have taken three nitroglycerin tablets five minutes apart and still have chest pain, call 911 and proceed immediately by ambulance to the nearest hospital for evaluation and treatment.

-- If you have no contraindication to using aspirin, chew and swallow one 325 mg. aspirin while you are waiting for the ambulance [Source: Spensyr.Krebsbach@co.orange.fl.us & ViaHealth Rochester General Hospital www.viahealth.org]

Lt. James "EMO" Tichacek USN (Ret)
Director, Retiree Activities Office & U.S. Embassy Warden Baguio City RP
Email: raoemo@mozcom.com (PRI) or raoemo@hotmail.com (Alternate)
Tel: (63-74) 445-6786 or 446-2087 to record msg. or FAX 1-801-760-2430