Heart Attack

A heart attack is often due to a blood clot causing blockage in one of the coronary arteries which supplies blood to the heart muscle. If urgent medical treatment is obtained, the victim may achieve a full recovery.

The victim may complain of:

• Severe chest pain: this may be tight, crushing or vice-like; it may occur in the centre of the chest or around the chest; it may go up the jaw and down one or both arms
• Breathlessness
• Nausea
  

Look for:

• Shortness of breath
• Pale or greyish skin colour with a cold and clammy feel
• Shivering and anxiety
• Collapse
  

What you should do:

• Help the victim into a position of rest but try to avoid exerting him. Reassure him that the pain will be less if he stays at total rest. Usually he will prefer to sit or lie back in a chair. Do not offer stimulants such as tea, coffee, alcohol or cigarettes.
• Call for an ambulance at once.
• If collapse occurs, turn the victim onto his side and check that the airway is clear and open. Be ready to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if needed.
• If the victim has any prescribed medication to take for chest pain, help him to take it. Check his pulse and breathing rate at regular intervals and record any changes. Note that the victim's skin colour and any changes that occur, especially in the colour of the lips and fingertips.