How to avoid the big crash

Medic Allen Lewis gets to the heart of the matter

Heart attacks remain the number one killer of adults, causing 600,000 deaths each year. Amongst those that survive, heart damage leaves hundreds of thousands permanently disabled. For anyone working several days away from mainstream medical support, delays in getting hospital treatment can mean that, on the principle of three strikes and you're out, you already have two and half strikes against you. The chances of survival from a heart attack at sea are significantly reduced.

Frontier Medical medic Allen Lewis regularly organises health education programmes for crews at sea. He has first-hand experience of how those organisations that encourage their employees to recognise and most importantly to act upon early warning signs of heart failure are saving lives in many communities working off-shore and in other remote environments overseas.

Within just weeks of attending one of Allen's presentation's on Heart Attack Awareness Recognition, the importance of being able to spot early warning signs was brought rapidly home to the crew of the Ocean Pearl. They were able to act swiftly to identify the first signs of potential heart failure in a key crew member, who was transferred to hospital in time for treatment that, along with the awareness training, was central in saving his life.

Explains Allen, "Heart attacks come in different shapes and sizes. In most cases they begin with warning signs that tell us something - specifically that heart damage or death is impending. The crash of your life has stop off points that can save you if you recognise the signs."

Treatments such as thrombolytic therapy, a drug therapy, and angioplasty, a method which allows blood to flow more freely, are relatively standard techniques in heart attack treatment, but only 25% of heart attack victims receive thrombolytic therapy. There is a direct corollary between the speed of treatment and the amount of heart muscle that survives undamaged but only 10% of heart attack victims receive therapy within the first critical hour.

Frontier Medical is currently developing protocols and training for all medics to deliver thrombolytic therapy in the field.

Reluctance to act

And according to Allen, the main reason why many people don't benefit from the many medical advances available is simply a reluctance to act when the first indication of a problem makes itself known.

He explains, "Too many people come up with excuses for delaying any action. Lines such as 'it's probably just a bit of indigestion' or 'I'll just wait it out, I'm pretty fit' are, amazingly, all too common."

But in fact early warning signs are present in up to half of all heart attacks, appearing sometimes two or three weeks in advance of any serious trouble.

Concludes Allen, "Lives can be saved if people stop trying to rationalise and face up to concerns. These awareness courses are also proven in promoting greater understanding amongst friends and colleagues who, as a direct result of their training, will help encourage anyone showing symptoms to get immediate medical advice."

To find out more about Frontier Medical's Heart Awareness Recognition training or any other disease prevention and health awareness initiatives, contact rebecca.gargan@frontiermedical.co.uk.

To purchase cardiac training equipment please visit our colleagues at medekit.com.