The most important thing to do when you suspect a heart attack is to call emergency medical services, but did you know that there is one common drug patients are recommended to take while waiting for assistance?
A cardiac surgeon advises that ‘chewing’ on an aspirin, while waiting for medical attention, can potentially decrease the size of the heart attack ultimately.
How heart attacks are formed
Heart attacks are caused by the blood supply to the heart being suddenly interrupted.
In a viral TikTok video, a Heart Surgeon named Dr. Jeremy London, MD, says that taking an aspirin when you’re having a heart attack could help reduce the seriousness.
The doctor explains that a heart attack is a blockage in the heart artery that then prevents blood from flowing to the heart muscle, which puts the heart muscle at risk.
A clot then forms behind the blockage, and most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries bring blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart is starved of oxygen and heart cells die, according to MedlinePlus.
As the clot forms in the artery, the size of the heart attack increases, making it more serious.
How aspirin can help decrease clot s
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic.
Aspirin keeps platelets from working, and platelets (a tiny, disc-shaped piece of cell that is found in the blood and spleen) form a clot.
Therefore, by taking aspirin, the amount of clot that forms in that artery can be decreased. This has the potential to ultimately decrease the size of the heart attack.
Aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart, and the NHS website also explains that while waiting for an ambulance during a heart attack, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg). It is important to ensure that the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin.
Dr. Jeremy London states that if you think you are having a heart attack, you should call emergency services (911) and ‘chew’ a 325-mg aspirin.
By chewing aspirin rather than swallowing it, the medicine can get into your system much quicker.
Dr. Jeremy London, MD, is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in Savannah, Georgia.
