Scientists Debunk Practice Of Giving Patients Oxygen During Heart Attack; It is Not 'Beneficial'

The practice of giving oxygen to patients to inhale during a heart attack may not be as beneficial as earlier perceived, scientists now claim.

A new Cochrane Systematic Review says that that giving oxygen may actually increase a patient's risk of dying.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

Heart attacks occur when the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart is interrupted. Heart attack patients are often given oxygen to try to improve oxygenation of the heart tissue.

Of the 387 patients involved in the studies, who were given pure oxygen or air to inhale in the 24 hours following the onset of heart attack symptoms, only 14 died, but of these, almost three times as many had inhaled oxygen as opposed to air.

"This result does not necessarily mean that giving oxygen increases the risk of dying from a heart attack," said Dr Amanda Burls of the Department of Primary Health Care at the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK.

What is a heart attack / How to prevent heart attacks
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Simple guidelines to avoid heart attack are listed.

"The numbers are so small that this may just have been due to chance."

Dr. Juan Cabello of the Alicante General University Hospital in Alicante, Spain, added, "It is truly amazing how we, as cardiologists, have been employing this treatment without solid evidence."

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles

However, researchers maintain that further studies are needed in order to confirm the theory.

Source-ANI

Animation on Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) is performed to restore the blood supply to areas of heart that have been reduced or has no blood supply due to blockage in the artery.