I'm A Doctor ― This Viral Heart Health Tip Makes Cardiac Arrest Worse

The British Heart Foundation shared that 7.6 million people in the UK live with some form of cardiovascular condition, adding: “Around twice as many people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK than with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease combined.”

Still, an NHS England study found that nearly half of adults they surveyed didn’t feel confident in spotting the signs of a heart attack, with just over a third saying they wouldn’t call 999 if they or a loved one experienced chest pain. 

So when a person such as the one surgeon Dr Kraran Rajan Stitched in a recent TikTok video shared a tip she says will “save your life” in the event of a heart attack, it’s not impossible to think that someone might actually adopt it in the midst of an emergency.

“If you’re feeling tightness in your chest, your arm, feeling weirdness in your jaw, you will do this,” the woman said before breathing deeply and coughing. 

But does the doctor think that’s actually helpful?

No, basically

“Here’s a life lesson from a doctor ― if you think you’re having a heart attack, do not do this because you can make the situation far worse,” he began. 

The doctor explained that the gesture the woman recommended was a type of Valsalva manoeuvre. These increase pressure in the chest and can affect your heart rate and blood pressure.

This genuinely is sometimes useful in treating heart conditions, Dr Rajan said ― “but not a heart attack.” 

That’s because, he says, a heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced, often because it’s being blocked by something in an artery. 

That leads to less oxygen getting around your body and harm to the heart muscle. 

“By doing this forced exhalation, forced coughing, you end up dumping the blood pressure and heart rate so the blood flow to the heart muscle decreases even more,” Dr Rajan shared. 

Low blood pressure is already a problem in that scenario, so by lowering it further, you end up with even less oxygen “and you accelerate damage to the heart muscle.” 

So, the surgeon said, the Valsalva manoeuvre might temporarily provide relief from chest pain and palpitations, “but that’s just masking the symptoms and may actually delay the early recognition of a heart attack and timely medical intervention.” 

His parting words were simple: “Don’t do this.”

How can I spot a heart attack and what should I do if I notice symptoms?

The NHS says you should call 999 immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms: 

• central chest pain or discomfort in the chest that doesn’t go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing
• pain that goes down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach
• unconsciousness
• seizures or fitting
• difficulty breathing (snoring or rasping)
• rapid heartbeat
• low or undetectable heartbeat
• chest pain and breathlessness, nausea, sweating or coughing up blood. 

Depending on the symptoms and whether or not you’re the person experiencing them, the emergency responder may give you further instructions, but it’s important to call 999 first as not only does early intervention give better results, but the experts will be able to give you the best instructions for specific symptoms. 

NHS Inform Scotland says the best steps in the case of a suspected heart attack are: 

1. Once you’ve phoned 999, ask the patient to sit and rest until the ambulance arrives.
2. If the patient isn’t allergic to aspirin and there’s some nearby, they can chew 1 tablet (300mg).
3. Stay with the patient until the ambulance arrives.
4. When the paramedics arrive, tell them if the patient has taken aspirin.