It is a moment of panic when you witness someone suffering from a heart attack. The primary reason for panic is that the average person has no idea what to do when they see someone having a heart attack. So, in order to make you prepared for such unforeseen circumstances, we bring to you 10 trivial facts that might save your life one day or help you to save others.

1 If you think you are having a heart attack, chew on aspirin as it has the potential to decelerate the formation of blood clots in the affected artery during the heart attack.

A heart attack can happen at any time and taking steps to intervene early can help reduce the damage done. Heart attacks happen when a deposit of cholesterol in a coronary artery ruptures. Smaller deposits provide partial blockages and they are the ones most likely to rupture. Once they crack, they attract platelets to the location which are responsible for forming blood clots. As the clot grows in size, it blocks the concerned artery completely leading to a lack of oxygen in a part of the heart muscle. The muscle dies due to deprivation of oxygen leading to a heart attack.

Aspirin works by restricting the platelets from forming blood clots in the artery. But since the clot keeps on growing, it’s recommended to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Aspirin would just help to put a hold on the platelets for some time. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have established that the best way for aspirin intake is to chew it during a heart attack. This way it works faster than swallowing it. For best results, it is recommended to chew an entire 325-mg tablet and get to the hospital fast. (source)

2 Never take your feet off the ground in case you are walking near a downed power line. Taking your feet off might create a potential between you and the ground and cause a discharge through your body. The best way is to slowly shuffle away and call the authorities.

Power lines carry more than 500,000 volts sometimes. Coming in contact with an exposed power line can be life-threatening. It is advised to always stay away from downed power lines as they might be quite harmful. Sometimes downed power lines do not hum or make any kind of electric sounds. This might give the impression that they are not carrying any voltage. But, there is no proper way to ascertain that. So, it’s advisable to stay away from them altogether.

If you find yourself near a downed power line, never take your feet off the ground. Walking by lifting one foot and placing them on the ground one after the other might conduct electricity due to the difference in voltage in both feet. This would develop a difference in potential between the ground and you and can be quite harmful. So the best way to move away from a power line is to shuffle away slowly without lifting your feet from the ground. (source)

3 Bad CPR is always better than no CPR at all. Even if you are unskilled, you should try to deliver CPR if needed. 

We all have a basic idea of how CPR works. We have seen it multiple times on TV and movies. But when the time comes to actually give CPR, we stand back as we consider ourselves untrained in the matter. Moreover, many people feel that they might be sued later or are just repulsed by the act of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But medical professionals suggest that even if you are not professionally trained to perform CPR, you should do it anyway.

Any type of CPR helps to improve survival rates to a great extent. When you see a person in need of CPR, always try to compress his chest hard even though you do not give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Continue doing that until professionals have arrived. (1, 2)

4 If you end up at the bottom of any water body and are unable to decide which way is up, blow bubbles to see which way they go. The bubbles always rise towards the surface. 

When you have gone too deep underwater, it might be difficult to decide which way is up. Divers often encounter this problem. Hence, they have devised a small trick to find out which way is up. The trick is to look at the bubbles. If you are underwater, try blowing bubbles and see which way they go. Unless there is a strong current, the bubbles will always go up towards the water’s surface. (source)

5 If you are deep-frying something and the entire pot is on fire, do not put it out with water. This will just make the situation worse.

Ever notice how when you watch a pot it never gets hot, but the minute you take your eyes off, it starts boiling aggressively? Unattended pots and pans on the stove have been attributed to be the biggest causes of kitchen fires. And, if your pot erupts in a grease fire, never try to douse the fire with water. The situation would only get worse.

Water and oil never mix – basic. middle school science. So, throwing water on a pan of flaming oil would only cause the water to sink below the oil and instantly evaporate from the heat. The vaporized water would further spread flames all over the place, in turn, causing the fire to spread. The best way to douse a grease fire is to close the pan with a lid so that the oxygen supply is cut off and the fire stops burning. You can also use salt or baking soda to put out a grease fire. (source)