Fact Check: ‘Cough CPR’ isn’t an effective remedy during heart attack, viral message is fake

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A viral post on social media claims that cough CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can help one remain conscious during a cardiac arrest.

Vishvas News, in its investigation, found no medical evidence to support ‘cough CPR’, which suggests you can help yourself by coughing vigorously if you think you’re having a heart attack and are alone. And, as per experts, ‘cough CPR’ cannot prevent cardiac arrest.

Claim

Facebook user Nasir Tareen shared the viral post on social media by writing, “Cough CPR is a form of self CPR. Coughing increases intrathoracic pressure and squeezes blood out of the heart into the aorta. Theoretically, one can remain conscious if one continues to cough during a cardiac arrest (not heart attack without cardiac arrest – all heart attacks do not cause cardiac arrest).”

The archive link of the post can be found here.

Investigation

Vishvas News searched Google with relevant keywords to check the claim’s veracity and found many similar claims viral on Facebook. 

We also reviewed many health research articles to seek clarification on the issue. Still, we found no medical evidence to support ‘cough CPR’, which suggests you can help yourself by coughing vigorously if you think you’re having a heart attack and are alone.

The American Heart Association also does not endorse ‘cough CPR’, a procedure widely publicised on the internet.

Resuscitation Council UK’s statement on cough CPR maintains, “The incorrect ‘advice’ has probably been based (very loosely) on a few published case reports of people with a sudden cardiac arrest being able to maintain a heartbeat, and therefore a circulation, by repeated vigorous coughing – so-called ‘cough CPR’”.

McGill University Office for Science and Society article maintains, “This idea makes no sense because CPR should only be performed on an unconscious person with no pulse. If you are conscious and can cough, you should not perform CPR.”

British Heart Foundation article stated, “The absolute priority when you think you or someone else is having a heart attack is to call an ambulance.”

To get to the base of the information, we contacted Dr Mukesh Goyal, Senior Consultant Cardiovascular Surgery, Apollo Hospital in Delhi, who explained, “This is misinformation. Heart attack (myocardial infarction) is the condition when blood supply to a portion of the heart is interrupted due to a blood clot in one of the arteries of the heart. If blood supply is not restored in the next 15 to 30 minutes, heart muscles in that area start dying. If one suspects that he is suffering from a heart attack, he should be calm and lie down and inform the nearest person to call for medical help.”

“Cardiac arrest is when the heart is not pumping, and the person will be unconscious in a few seconds. Persons around him must recognise the condition, start CPR (if they are familiar and trained) and call for medical help. Acute Heart failure is when because of a heart attack or otherwise, the lungs are filled with fluid as the heart is not able to pump blood normally. The person suffering from acute heart failure will be short of breath, sweating and uncomfortable. He will be forced to breathe deeply and rapidly and cough due to fluid build-up in the lungs. He will need immediate medical attention and respiratory support by BiPAP or ventilator.”

Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Vice Chairman, research cell, IMA Kerala, added, “I will explain why the ‘cough CPR’ message is fake. If someone has a cardiac arrest, they won’t be conscious. Then how can they remember to ‘cough’? The correct thing to do if we get chest pain while driving is to drive to a hospital casualty if we can. ‘Coughing’ in such situations is useless. Chest pain could mean a heart attack, which is not the same as cardiac arrest. In a heart attack, the pump is still working, so the person remains conscious. Cardiac arrest is different and happens when the heart stops fully. Remember this: Heart attack –  conscious, Cardiac arrest- unconscious.”

Nevertheless, it is always advisable to consult your doctor and get the best advice from him/her in an emergency. Notably, World Heart Day is a global event that occurs every year on 29 September 2022. 

On social scanning, we found the Facebook user, who shared the viral claim, lives in Multan and is followed by 168 people on the social media app.  

Conclusion: No, ‘Cough CPR’ is not helpful in patients experiencing a cardiac attack, doctors say, despite Facebook posts recommending it for people stricken with a sudden emergency.

Tags

• cardiac arrest cough CPR
• cough CPR heart attack
• Fact Check
• fake news
• heart attack
• world heart day