{"id":414939,"date":"2026-01-18T13:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/414939\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T13:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:11:15","slug":"doctor-explains-how-baby-aspirin-helps-during-heart-attack-chewing-it-can-help-slow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/414939\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor explains how baby aspirin helps during heart attack: \u2018Chewing it can help slow\u2026\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aspirin is one of the most commonly available drugs in households across the globe. According to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a> website, it is classified as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which is used for treating mild to moderate pain, inflammation or arthritis.<\/p>\n

\"BabyBaby aspirin helps slow down clot formation that may trigger a heart attack, shares Dr Sood. (Unsplash)<\/p>\n

Also Read | Gynaecologist shares 5 reasons why periods are more painful and irregular during winter<\/a><\/p>\n

At times, aspirin is also used as an emergency medication for heart attacks<\/a>. It is usually of a low dosage and popularly referred to as \u201cbaby aspirin<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking to Instagram on January 17, Dr Kunal Sood, a Maryland-based physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine, noted, \u201cBaby aspirin isn\u2019t for babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

How baby aspirin helps in heart attack<\/p>\n

Elaborating on its use during a sudden cardiac arrest, Dr Sood stated, \u201cBaby aspirin is a low dose of aspirin, usually 81 mg, and its main effect is on platelets – the blood cells that help form clots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost heart attacks happen when cholesterol plaque ruptures in a coronary artery and a clot suddenly blocks blood flow to part of the heart,\u201d he continued. \u201cIn that situation, chewing a baby aspirin while waiting for emergency (services to arrive) can help slow clot formation and may limit how much heart muscle is actually affected.\u201d<\/p>\n

As such, baby aspirin is often carried by emergency responders who provide it to individuals in need of help early during a suspected heart attack.<\/p>\n

Why baby aspirin is not always the answer<\/p>\n

Dr Sood observed that taking aspirin during a heart attack comes in handy only when the condition is caused by a blood clot. If a stroke is at the root of the problem, the drug is of no help.<\/p>\n

Aspirin is also not helpful in chest pains caused by anxiety, acid reflux, or muscle strain.<\/p>\n

Moreover, we should not be taking aspirin routinely, as the drug increases the risk of bleeding, especially in people without known heart disease.<\/p>\n

Therefore, if a person is suffering from new, concerning chest pain, the first step should always be to call for emergency services. While aspirin is helpful, it is never a substitute for medical care.<\/p>\n

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.<\/p>\n

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aspirin is one of the most commonly available drugs in households across the globe. According to the Cleveland…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414940,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[186681,198829,104239,33240,97,15520],"class_list":{"0":"post-414939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aspirin-dosage","9":"tag-baby-aspirin","10":"tag-chest-pain","11":"tag-emergency-services","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-heart-attack"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}