Coughing to save your life during a MI?

[kreamer10]

Ok so a friend of mine came across this article and was wondering if anyone had opinions on it. I am not saying I support the idea, I am just curious. Thanks for your time.

How to Survive a Heart Attack When Alone

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed in order.) Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel Faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.

The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help.

Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives!

[paramedicmike]

This has been floating around the internet for at least ten years. Here's a link confirming its status as urban legend. Not that I'm advocating urban legend websites in place of actual medical education. But it'll work as far as verifying its status as poor advice.

A quick Google search would have turned up a lot of information debunking this myth, too. Just so you know for the future.

[kreamer10]

Thank you Mike. This was more to settle a bet than anything else. A friend of mine was not accepting my "google" answers and asked me to post it on here. I thank you for your time.