Heart attacks are among the most terrifying medical emergencies that a person can experience. The medical emergency has an incredibly high rate of mortality, and there is often no way to predict who exactly they will affect or when they are likely to strike.

Quite often, people who are experiencing a heart attack panic when they begin to feel the tell-tale symptoms of chest pains and shooting or stabbing pains down the left arm. The period when the person is aware of what is happening to them is often very brief before they lapse into unconsciousness. This window is often only a couple of seconds. However, this doesn’t mean that the patient is entirely helpless in this situation. In that brief period, a person can do something very simple which could potentially save their lives – cough!

People who are experiencing a heart attack are advised to start coughing as deeply and as powerfully as they possibly can while extending the exhale. This simple action can be enough to save someone’s life as the deep exhalation ensures that the lungs are continually oxygenated, and the pressure caused by the coughing stimulates the heart into perpetuating circulation. The continual pressure on the heart during the heart attack can even bring the sinus rhythm back into a normal pattern which could mitigate the worst of the complications caused by a sudden heart attack.

While this technique is naturally no substitute for professional medical care either in a hospital or via a trained paramedic team, it could potentially give someone vital support until a professional arrives to provide proper medical care. In the case of such a dangerous and quick-acting medical emergency this brief and simple action could make the difference between life and death.