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A heart attack is a medical emergency. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that carries oxygen to the heart is blocked.

Symptoms in adults may include:

• Changes in mental status, especially in older adults.
• Chest pain that feels like pressure, squeezing, or fullness. The pain is most often in the center of the chest. It may also be felt in the jaw, shoulder, arms, back, and stomach. It can last for more than a few minutes, or come and go.
• Cold sweat.
• Lightheadedness.
• Indigestion.
• Vomiting.
• Numbness, pain or tingling in the arm (usually the left arm, but the right arm may be affected alone, or along with the left).
• Weakness or fatigue, especially in older adults and in women.

First Aid

If you think someone is having a heart attack:

• Have the person sit down, rest, and try to keep calm.
• Loosen any tight clothing.
• Ask if the person takes any chest pain medicine, such as nitroglycerin for a known heart condition, and help them take it.
• If the pain does not go away promptly with rest or within 3 minutes of taking nitroglycerin, call for emergency medical help.
• If the person is unconscious and unresponsive, call 911 or the local emergency number, then begin CPR.

Many experts recommend chewing and swallowing a full dose aspirin, after calling the local emergency number. Only do this if you are not allergic to aspirin and do not have any condition that could make taking aspirin dangerous for you.

DO NOT

• DO NOT leave the person alone except to call for help, if necessary.
• DO NOT allow the person to deny the symptoms and convince you not to call for emergency help.
• DO NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away.
• DO NOT give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medicine (such as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.