Emergency Medicine: FAQs About Taking Aspirin for a Heart Attack or Stroke

The qualifications of those who recommend the use of aspirin as an emergency medicine during a heart attack are strong. The American Heart Association has endorsed the value of simple aspirin as a means of buying time during a heart attack. But if there is a chance of heart attack in a person’s medical profile or there is a family member who is at risk, it’s best to know more details about some aspects of how to use aspirin correctly in an emergency situation.

  1. When taking aspirin during a heart emergency, should it should be swallowed or chewed? The goal is to get the aspirin into the blood stream as quickly as possible. So chew the aspirin so it is absorbed quickly.
  2. Should someone with heart problems just start taking aspirin? It is wise for anyone to consult with their doctor before beginning a regimen of taking drugs. Even for a fairly mild and beneficial drug like aspirin, the patient’s doctor can advise whether routine aspirin use is advisable in light of other medications that may be part of his or her medical profile.
  3. Should aspirin be used as soon as the symptoms of a heart attack begins? Taking aspirin should not be the first thing one does when the symptoms of a heart attack begin to take place. The first thing to do is call 911 and get help from qualified personnel about what emergency medicine to take, if any. But it is smart to know where the aspirin is and to have it ready when you make the call. In that way, if the 911 operator advises you to take aspirin, you can get it into your system as quickly as possible.

If the emergency operator does not advise you to take aspirin right away, wait for the ambulance, as they will know when that is right for you. There will come a time as they work to save your life that aspirin could become part of that rescue. But leave that decision in the hands of qualified medical professionals who understand the dynamics of emergency medicine in light of your particular condition.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4456

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0505a.shtml