Chest pain or heart attack: what to do

Do this now

1. 01Ring 108 now. Do not drive yourself, and do not wait to see if it passes.
2. 02Sit them down, leaning back slightly, knees bent. Not flat, not walking about.
3. 03Loosen tight clothing at the neck and waist.
4. 04If they are conscious, not allergic to aspirin and not bleeding, have them chew one adult aspirin (around 300 mg) slowly. Chewed, not swallowed whole.
5. 05If they have prescribed heart medication such as sorbitrate, help them take it as prescribed.
6. 06Stay with them. If they stop responding and stop breathing normally, start chest compressions.

Do not

• ×Do not drive them yourself if an ambulance can reach you. Treatment starts in the ambulance.
• ×Do not let them walk to the vehicle or climb stairs.
• ×Do not give aspirin to somebody who is allergic to it, is bleeding, or has been told not to take it.
• ×Do not wait for the pain to "settle". Indian patients commonly reach hospital hours late for exactly this reason.
• ×Do not assume it is gas or acidity. That mistake is made constantly and it is fatal.

What to tell the operator

• That you suspect a heart attack
• When the pain started and where it spreads — arm, jaw, back
• Whether they are sweating, breathless or vomiting
• Their age and any heart history or diabetes
• Your exact location

What this page cannot tell you

• Whether it is the heart, the stomach or the lungs — only an ECG settles that
• Women, older people and diabetics often have no crushing chest pain at all, and instead feel breathless, sick or exhausted