Heart Attack Signs & Symptoms
Central chest pain, ache or 'heavy' feeling in the chest; or a mild chest discomfort that makes the person feel generally unwell. This may feel like bad indigestion.
- This may spread to arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach.
- They may also feel light-headed, dizzy and short of breath, feel nauseous or vomit.
If you think they might be having a heart attack:
Call 999 or 112 for an ambulance.
Get them to sit down. Keep them calm. Don't give them any food or drink.
If untreated, cardiac arrest (see below) occurs in a quarter to a third of patients with myocardial ischaemia (heart attack) within the first hour after the onset of chest pain.
Cardiac Arrest: What is It?
A cardiac arrest is a medical emergency, ocurring when someone's heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body, they stop breathing and lose consciousness. It is caused by a problem with the electrical system of the heart. Death of a person suffering a cardiac arrest can occur within minutes.
It is estimated that there are around 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. Of these, around 30,000 are discovered in time to help save the victim's life by another person.
Sadly, many lives are lost because the person who witnessed the event or discovered the victim (ofter referred to as bystanders) didn't act quickly enough or simply didn't know what to do.
