How long does it take for an Asprin (bought over the counter)
that has been chewed to have a significant affect on an adult
suffering a heart attack.
Christine Summers
How long does it take for an Asprin (bought over the counter)
that has been chewed to have a significant affect on an adult
suffering a heart attack.
Christine Summers
ms…@easynet.co.uk (Mark Summers) wrote:
>How long does it take for an Asprin (bought over the counter)
>that has been chewed to have a significant affect on an adult
>suffering a heart attack.
>Christine Summers
We don’t know exactly, but it does appear to have a very quick
response. It is usually recommended that the first dose be chewable,
for the fastest absorption, then the rest of the doses can be enteric
coated. In some of the thrombolytic trials, the benefits of giving
aspirin early were astounding, but I haven’t seen any time dependent
studies showing a critical window of opportunity…
General Internal Medicine
Sacramento, California
Isn’t aspirin something a person wouldn’t want to take just to prevent
heart attacks? I know it supposedly knocks out the platelets in a person’s
body, but I also heard that aspirin could cause certain complications
in surgery.
f…@umich.edu (Fred Ming-Chieh Wu) wrote:
>Isn’t aspirin something a person wouldn’t want to take just to prevent
>heart attacks? I know it supposedly knocks out the platelets in a person’s
>body, but I also heard that aspirin could cause certain complications
>in surgery.
Welcome to controversies in medicine! Yes, aspirin can increase the
risk of bleeding by affecting platelet function. But in some trials
aspirin significantly reduces the risk of heart attack. In other
trials it didn’t, but increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Yet we
use aspirin in patients with reversible strokes called tia’s, when
there is no hemorrhage! Aspirin may also reduce the risk of colon and
esophageal cancer, but it is known to cause ulcers, and in some
people, worsen asthma and nasal polyps! Basically, I discuss pro’s
and con’s with individual patients, and help them weigh the
risk/benefit ratio on a case-by-case basis.
General Internal Medicine
Sacramento, California
In article <4dta4c$…@lemon.easynet.co.uk>,
ms…@easynet.co.uk (Mark Summers) wrote:
> How long does it take for an Asprin (bought over the counter)
> that has been chewed to have a significant affect on an adult
> suffering a heart attack.
> Christine Summers
Hi, Christine.
Let me first say that Aspirin (or salicylate acid) is not a drug
to "stop" a heart attack, or dissolve a bloodclot (trombe) that
allready has clogged a coronary artery. To dissolve a clot or
open up an artery other measures will be needed (trombolytic
agents or surgery). Nor is it supposed to have any effect on
chest pain, you need stronger medicine for that!
Having said this, Aspirin (or equivalent) is considered important
in "first aid" treatment of a supposed heart attack, often
combined with nitroglycerine (NG). Both are drugs often found at
home or with a neigbour, and if you and the patient strongly
suspect a heart attack, Aspirin should be given (in the way you
describe it) without delay, even if the patient allready is on
salicylate treatment. You can do very little wrong, and it can be
of much importance. One should be a bit more cautions with NG, if
the pt. is evidently going into a shoch, but NG will reduce strain
on the heart and may have a beneficial effect on chest pain and/or
shortness of breath.
Aspirin will reach its optimal effect within approx. half an
hour, but may start to have some effect before that. I’m not
a pharmacist, others may have more presice figures to give you.
Gsstric absorption of various drugs depends on several factors.
Aspirin is a potent anticoagulant, "smoothening" the blood
platelets, and may stop any further clogging of the artery.
Sometimes there is a "gliding" transition from a strong chest
pain (what we call angina pectoris) to myocardial infarction.
In such a case Aspirin may at least delay this development, and
the pt. may get competent treatment in time.
I don’t know what the "big guys" on this group have to say, but
I would not hesitate to give someone aspirin if they had a
sudden attack of characteristic chest pain. (Patients allready
suffering from chronic coronary illness usually will know what
is alarming or not). I would also look for NG, having the above
considerations in mind.
Then I would dial 911…
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Per Viggen e-mail: pvig…@sn.no
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