The short explanation
Call 112 straight away and say you think it is a heart attack. Help the person sit down and rest in a comfortable position, often half-sitting with knees bent, loosen tight clothing and stay with them. Do not let them walk around or drive themselves to hospital. If the person becomes unresponsive and is not breathing normally, start chest compressions: push hard and fast in the centre of the chest, and follow the instructions the emergency call handler gives you until help arrives.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Symptoms can include chest pain or pressure, pain in the arms, jaw, neck or back, breathlessness, sweating, nausea and dizziness. Women may have less typical symptoms.
- The emergency team may give medicines on the way to hospital; tell them what the person usually takes and any allergies.
- Learning basic CPR through a local hospital or community course helps families respond quickly.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot replace emergency instructions or training. Always follow the emergency call handler and medical team.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Where can our family learn CPR?
- Which hospital near us can treat heart attacks quickly?
- Should we keep any medicines at home for emergencies?
- What are my relative's heart risks?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 immediately for chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to the jaw or arm, breathlessness, sweating or collapse, and start CPR if the person is not breathing normally.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Consider a CPR course for family members, especially when someone at home has heart disease.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Heart attack NHS
- Heart attack — symptoms NHS
- Heart attack National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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