What to do if someone has a heart attack

Each year in the UK, over 200,000 people have heart attacks. Around a third of these will die before reaching the hospital.

Know the signs

Most people usually know that chest pain can be a symptom of a heart attack, but this can vary from a mild discomfort to severe.

Signs of a heart attack usually include:

• Pain in the centre of the chest
• Chest pain which spreads to the jaw, neck and down one or both arms (often the left arm)
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling sick and/or vomiting
• Feeling light headed or dizziness
• Pain in the back or stomach
• Profuse sweating
• Lips turn blue
• Gasping for air

It's important to realise that the signs of a heart attack can differ from person to person. Chest pain can vary from a mild discomfort in the centre of the chest to pain which is often described as a heavy pressure, crushing or tightness.

In others, especially women, the chest pain may be a minor but is accompanied by some of the other signs. Either way, a heart attack is a medical emergency and has to be acted on immediately.

What to do

If you think someone is having a heart attack, don't delay.

• Call 999 or 112 for an ambulance
• Sit the person down in a comfortable position
• If they are conscious, give them a 300mg aspirin tablet to chew slowly
• Don't leave them alone. Be prepared to adminisister CPR if they become unconscious and have trouble or stop breathing.

This article was published on Thu 27 May 2010