Dr Amos Ogunkoya has issued a warning to TV viewers
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A BBC Morning Live doctor has issued a warning over fake advice sweeping across social media about heart attacks. Dr Amos Ogunkoya, a regular on the show, said a Facebook post is circulating that says if you’re having heart attack when you’re alone, the best thing is to cough every second until your heart starts beating normally again.
The doctor warns not to listen to this. “It’s completely bogus,” he said.
“The British Heart Foundation have really clear advice that this doesn’t work. I’ve seen this [post] as well. It’s been shared widely. I think if you come across it, don’t share it, and if you know the person who’s sharing it, share the fact with them that this is incorrect information and if people think that it’s good information, it’s quite dangerous.”
The expert says if you are alone are are having a heart attack, you need to call 999 and do this as soon as you can. He urges to never take yourself to the hospital.
He says the safest place for you is “with the paramedics in the ambulance and after you called the ambulance try and rest. I know it’s difficult but this is really good for protecting your heart tissue.
“If you can and if you’re not allergic, and you’ve got access to aspirin, that will be really good at thinning blood and increasing the amount of blood that gets to your heart.” Whilst you are waiting for help, place a pillow under your head and put your knees up.
Another issue is about choking – and it’s a common mistake. The doctor says: “Choking is another emergency and it’s one that can be quite serious.
“There are two different types of choking. Choking as the blocking of the airways – you can have a partial block and this is actually interesting as coughing can make a difference. So if you can speak and you can talk the more likely is a partial airway.”
Talking about having a partial block, the expert warns: “What you don’t do is you do not put your fingers down your mouth to try and get it out and that’s for kids as well. Don’t do that because you can make it worse.
“And contrary to popular belief, you don’t try and drink water either because that just adds more on top of it.” The expert says that if you are in this situation, “there is another thing you can do, which is something called the abdominal thrust.”
Showing how to do this, he explained: “The aim of this is to dislodge anything stuck in the airway and if you have a full blockage and you cannot cough, you need to call 999”. You can “tap on the phone and they can trace your phone and send help to you if you can’t talk”, the doctor says.
You can watch the video here for how to do the abdominal thrust. If you fall whilst any of this is happening, including having a heart attack and you are alone, you need to stay calm “because the first minute or so you need to check your body and be mindful because it can take some time for pain to show up and you need to know if it’s safe for you to get up.”
He said iIf you feel confident, there is a technique to help you get up safely after a fall. You can also watch that here with BBC Strictly’s Neil Jones demonstrating what to do.
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If you cannot get up, you need to call for help and make a noise. You should also try using a smart speaker or use a community alarm. If you can’t talk, try banging on a surface such as a table, counter top, chair or floor, to draw attention and make a loud noise.