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Discussion

Aspirin before 911

I hear on the news and for many years to give aspirin if somebody is experiencing chest pains or heart attack. my teacher says wont work?

Featured Replies

  • Experts

your teacher needs to get up to date.

from us food & drug administration (fda):

according to the american heart association, 5,000 to 10,000 of the 900,000 lives lost each year to cardiovascular disease could be saved if more people took aspirin upon the first signs of a heart attack. some typical signs are an uncomfortable pressure or pain in the center of the chest (sometimes along with lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, nausea, or sweating) or a pain going to the shoulders, neck and arms.

aspirin should be used by "just about everyone" who has survived a heart attack or stroke due to a blocked blood vessel, hennekens emphasizes, or who within the previous 24 hours has had symptoms of an evolving heart attack. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/aspirin-cliche/aspirin.txt

from american heart association (aha)

aspirin in heart attack and stroke prevention

research shows that getting an aspirin early in the treatment of a heart attack, along with other treatments emts and emergency department physicians provide, can significantly improve your chances of survival.

aspirin may help prevent a first heart attack. september 22, 2003

a meta-analysis involving more than 55,000 patients finds that aspirin may help prevent a first heart attack, and for apparently healthy individuals whose 10-year risk of a first heart attack is 10 percent or greater, the benefits of long-term aspirin use may outweigh any risks. the study is also the first to show that apparently healthy women who may be at risk may benefit from aspirin therapy as much as men. pdf

the us preventive services task force recommendations. january 28, 2002

the us preventive services task force - an independent panel of the u.s. department of health and human services, comprised of private-sector experts in primary care and prevention - is advising physicians to consider aspirin therapy for patients who have not had cardiovascular events or stroke but are at risk.

see the uspstf's recommendations here: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/aspirin/aspsum1.htm

for more information on aspirin and the heart

aspirin foundation of america 1-800-432-3247

[email protected] www.aspirin.org

american heart association 1-800-242-8721

www.amhrt.org

I agree with NrsKaren...ASA is recommended by the AHA.

Mabye she meant that it won't relieve the chest pain--ASA won't treat the heart attack by itself, further evaluation and intervention is needed. 911 should be called and ASA should be takenafter the call is placed (the 911 operater may screen for an ASA allergy and then tell the person calling to take an ASA)

  • Guides

You're actually supposed to chew the ASA......not pleasant, but it does speed up the clot-busting effect. However, when you're having chest pain, chomping on a Bayer is far from the worst part of the experience.....I had an episode a few years back, and as a nurse, I knew that was the first thing to do when the pain hit me (the second was to call 911!). I remember the paramedics who took me to the hospital were quite pleased that I'd thought to do that. It turned out to be only a chest-wall muscle strain, but it certainly was scary---I got the ambulance, the oxygen, the IV morphine, the cardiac monitor, the lights & siren, the whole works. My family was freaking out, so I had to stay calm, even though I too was pretty scared.......I could see that my VS and 02 sats were OK, and that was reassuring to me, but they had no way of knowing that and they were basically pretty useless. :chuckle

before giving anyone aspirin, make sure you ask them if they are allergic to aspirin. i am allergic to aspirin as are many other people. my allergy is severe enough that it could kill me. :o

You're actually supposed to chew the ASA......not pleasant, but it does speed up the clot-busting effect. However, when you're having chest pain, chomping on a Bayer is far from the worst part of the experience.....I had an episode a few years back, and as a nurse, I knew that was the first thing to do when the pain hit me (the second was to call 911!). I remember the paramedics who took me to the hospital were quite pleased that I'd thought to do that. It turned out to be only a chest-wall muscle strain, but it certainly was scary---I got the ambulance, the oxygen, the IV morphine, the cardiac monitor, the lights & siren, the whole works. My family was freaking out, so I had to stay calm, even though I too was pretty scared.......I could see that my VS and 02 sats were OK, and that was reassuring to me, but they had no way of knowing that and they were basically pretty useless. :chuckle

ASA will not "bust" up a clot. It will only prevent the clot from getting bigger and blocking more of the artery. Think of Heparin, ASA, Coumadin, etc. as ways to keep the attack from getting worse.

Chip

yes

Pretty much - I was taught that they should call for an ambulance as they're getting out the third anginine, then asprin while they wait.

How many milligrams should they chew if they think they are having a HA?

I thought I read somewhere that if they have any Baby ASA, they should chew 5. If they have the 325 mg's, they should chew 2? Anyone know?

How many milligrams should they chew if they think they are having a HA?

I thought I read somewhere that if they have any Baby ASA, they should chew 5. If they have the 325 mg's, they should chew 2? Anyone know?

ISTM when I took ACLS it was 325 mg. Unfortunately, I don't recall if it's contra-indicated if someone is already on coumadin.

NurseFirst

ISTM when I took ACLS it was 325 mg. Unfortunately, I don't recall if it's contra-indicated if someone is already on coumadin.

NurseFirst

The only contraindication for aspirin in the ACS patient is allergy/known hypersensitivity. It prevents clot formation by a different means then coumadin or heparin, and, therefore, is not contraindicated in patients on either.

Chip

d

ASA is specifically contraindicated with a patient taking COUMADIN. The two meds interact and PRN use of NSAIDS is generally not advised. (Although some docs recommend low doses of ASA - 81mg - routinely with Coumadin since they work differently). The difference is, the interaction of routine low dose ASA with Coumadin is predictable. The large doses typically recommended for possible MI would definitely interact with the Coumadin quickly causing an elevated INR which would then place the patient at increase risk for hemmorage, especially if invasive procedures are involved during intervention of the MI. I would ask the doc for an order specifically for the situation or at least have some protocols in place to protect the patient.

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