Would you know what to do in a cardiac emergency? Ask our expert

[EllieSmumsnet]

It’s a common belief when we hear about sudden cardiac arrest or heart attacks, that it affects someone older, someone unwell, someone else. But cardiac arrest can happen at any age and as MyDefib has noted, 80% of cardiac arrests that happen outside of hospital occur at home*, where family members become the first responders.

Survivor and Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK advocate Gareth Cole is helping to challenge the myths and answer the questions many families are afraid to ask, from who’s really at risk, to what you should do in those first critical minutes and what life is like after.

As a survivor and advocate for cardiac arrest awareness, he is partnering with MyDefib to turn awareness into action at home - empowering families to respond confidently to cardiac arrest before it happens, with the mission of saving lives.

Do you have a question about heart health, heart attacks, or cardiac arrests? Gareth is here to answer them.

Share your question by 17/04/026 for a chance to win a £200 voucher (T&Cs).

References - *
mydefib.co.uk/about/

About Gareth:
Gareth knows firsthand the challenges of life after cardiac arrest.

As a survivor, he has turned his experience into a passion for supporting others on their recovery journey. Through his role with Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK, he helps raise awareness, advocate for better aftercare, and foster a strong, supportive community for survivors and their families.

Gareth believes that recovery is more than just surviving—it’s about reclaiming life, finding purpose, and connecting with others who truly understand. His positivity, resilience, and dedication make him an inspiring figure in the cardiac arrest survivor community.

I wonder do the call
handlers get data/ feedback on their calls and results of their triage.

Sounds very frightening. I was able to walk to the car albeit in a massive amount of pain. Although both serious, yours sounds more serious than mine. Still be investigated for the root cause in my case

Gareth, My question is: If you use a defib on someone who is having a heart attack and not in cardiac arrest, (in error of course) what would be the effects?

You can’t cough if you are in cardiac arrest

My BIL put his heart attack down to heart burn for 5 days!

A public defib does not work unless the person is in cardiac arrest and then only on a shockable rhythm so do not worry.

Automated defibs (AED) will only shock shockable rhythms (VF-ventricular fibrillation and VT- ventircular tachycardia) if the patient is unconcious with either of these Rhythms you aren't going to go far wrong by shocking them. The AED won't let you shock a heart with a normal electrical pattern going on.

In theory an unconcious patient with VT could still have a pulse, but if they have reached the point of unconciousness then they aren't going to be far off loosing cardiac output (their pulse) and then you'd be shocking them anyway.

It is possible to get 'artefacts' on an ECG that look like VF when it isn't but this is only in a vigourously moving patient (ie concious and you won't be shocking them) or in a moving vehicle and you won't be using an AED in a moving vehicle.

I have learned so much from coming back to this thread - one of the one's which has made me think and want to learn some first aid training - I've booked on for the staff at work - mostly men on the shop floor and office staff.

Well done you . You did everything you could and I expect instinct came in . Hopefully there will be lots of " you' s " about when others around them need it .

The answer is: nothing. A defibrillator only works on specific arrhythmias. If they’re not in cardiac arrest (ventricular fibrillation) then the defibrillator won’t shock. Because it wouldn’t have the desired effect.

You're right - knowing the difference is so important, people would panic into the CPR when it's not the right thing to do.

Or not because of not recognising some of the signs of cardiac arrest or peri-arrest eg agonal breathing or seizure-like activity

Reading the thread above makes me think how little I know - how can I tell the difference in a person stranger or family who has had/is having a heart attack and cardiac arrest - just so I can have a bit more preparation for any incident. Thanks

If you are home alone is there anything you can do thats helpful until you can get through to 999.

I worry a lot about the fact womens heart attacks don't present the same, I am aware of that but I am not sure what I would look out for

Absolutely! There are apps such as "AED Finder" and "AED Registry", however they tend to vary in accuracy from region to region, rely heavily on user input, and shouldn't be regarded as 100% complete. There is a website (not an app) called "The Circuit" which is the most complete database and is used by the ambulance service and 999 call handlers. Important to remember that if someone isn't breathing the first thing to do is dial 999 and start CPR. The call handler will inform you of the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator to your location that you can send someone to if someone is available.

I'm sorry to hear about the experience your brother in law suffered, however, in general, yes, I do think GP's are trained enough to spot the symptoms of a heart attack. The difficulty is that some of the symptoms are similar, or even identical, to other conditions, and of course not all patients display all of the symptoms. In fact some patients display none of the symptoms. For this reason there are always going to be rare occasions where a patient is mis-diagnosed but those are few and far between.

That’s a good question. When someone has dementia a medical emergency can be especially frightening and confusing for them. The first thing to do would obviously be dial 999 and then open your front door. After that sit with your dad, hold his hand and talk to him in a calm and reassuring manner. Keep telling him that he's safe and that you are with him and you are not going anywhere. If there are other people in the room clear them out so that he isn't overwhelmed by 'crowds' around him.

I'm sorry for your loss. You are absolutely correct that raising awareness is important. As a two time out of hospital cardiac arrest survivor I now devote all my free time to doing exactly this.

This is a great question and it is something that researchers and healthcare systems are actively trying to address. Historically women have tended to be under represented in clinical research so there is indeed evidence that their symptoms are more likely to be attributed to anxiety etc. than men's symptoms are. It doesn't help that women sometimes present with slightly different symptoms (due to different biology) for the same underlying condition, which makes early diagnosis more challenging. Its not right, but there is at least now a desire within the medical community to address it.

Another great question. To deal with the first part, yes, I do feel that a person with basic training, or even no training, can use a defibrillator. Modern defibrillators, such as Heart Hero, are incredibly clever devices. They show you where to place the pads and they talk you through the whole process step by step. Most importantly, a defibrillator will NOT deliver a shock if none is needed, so you can't possibly do any harm with one. For the second part, panic is indeed a very common reaction, particularly if the patient is a loved one, but research shows that its quickly replaced by determination. Call handlers are extensively trained to calm the caller and focus on important aspect, ie, CPR and if available using a defibrillator. Remember, if someone is in cardiac arrest they are experiencing the ultimate medical emergency. Bad CPR is better than no CPR and a defibrillator will only deliver a shock if one is appropriate. There is nothing you can do to make the situation worse.

Its important to bear in mind that a heart attack and a cardiac arrest are very different conditions and require different intervention and treatment. In the case of a heart attack your mum would still be conscious and breathing so CPR would not be appropriate. In the case of a cardiac arrest your mum would not be conscious and would have stopped breathing, and at that point CPR would be vital. I understand your concern of her being frail and petite, but to be brutally honest if you were to break a rib or two (which is highly likely) that's still infinitely preferable to the inevitable alternative. A broken rib will heal itself, a stopped heart won't. As for something to have in the home first aid wise, a home defibrillator, such as Heart Hero, would be a good option. In cardiac arrest scenarios, seconds, not minutes, matter.

Sorry but I'm going to play Devils Advocate here ! You are totally correct that a heart attack and a cardiac arrest are two totally different things, but I kind of disagree that performing CPR or using a defibrillator on someone having a heart attack is "dangerous". Its certainly not ideal but its not inherantly dangerous. Performing CPR on someone who doesn't require it is likely to cause some bruising, broken ribs and/or even a broken sternum, but all of those will heal and none will be life threatening. A defibrillator will NOT deliver a shock to someone who doesn't need one so there is no danger there. In an ideal world the rescuer will recognise and understand the difference. In a not ideal world, if the rescuer isn't certain wjether the patient is in cardiac arrest or not, err on the side of caution and start CPR anyway. If the patient doesn't need it they'll pretty quickly let you know anyway! Bottom line; its more dangerous not to perform CPR on someone who needs it than it is to perform CPR on someone who doesn't need it.

Unfortunately this is one of those common myths that does the rounds on social media every few months. I do admit, on the face of it, it sounds plausible (which is why it keeps cropping back up) but it is medically inaccurate. If someone is in cardiac arrest, and therefore requiring CPR, they are already unconscious and unable to cough anyway. If they are having a heart attack, or suspect they are, then coughing won't make anything worse, but it definitely won't make anything better either. Don't waste time trying it, stop what you are doing and dial 999 immediately.

The main thing to do would be to stay calm and try to keep the patient calm. After dialling 999 open your front door so that the ambulance crew / first responder can get in without disrurbing you just in case you need to start CPR at any point. Obviously I can't give medical advice here as every case is different but one thing I would recommend is to keep aspirin (preferably soluble aspirin) in your first aid box / medicine cabinet. 999 call handlers may suggest you give the patient aspirin if they suspect a heart attack.