Heart attacks aren't what you think

On average, one Australian has a heart attack every 10 minutes. So, having a heart attack is a very real possibility, especially if you are a man over 45 years of age – the age when the chance of having one starts to increase.  

Tragically, too many lives are lost because people take too long to call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance when they have the warning signs of heart attack.

Will you recognise your heart attack?

 It’s important to know all you can about heart attack - recognising the warning signs and acting quickly saves lives.   

Keep in mind, it may not be your life you save, but someone close to you - a mate, your father, your son or a neighbour. And it’s not only men who have heart attacks. More women die from heart attack than any other cause.

So what is a heart attack? How will you recognise if you, or someone you are with, are having one? And what should you do? Importantly too, how can you avoid having one?

It's OK to call

The following video highlights the importance of calling 000 if you think you're having a heart attack.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack is when a clot blocks the blood flow to part of your heart muscle. This happens because your coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle) have become clogged with fatty material, called plaque. The plaque splits, blood cells sticks over the damaged area and a clot forms that blocks the blood flow to your heart muscle.

This is an emergency!  If your heart muscle (like any other part of your body) doesn’t get any blood, it starts to die. And the amount of damage increases the longer your heart muscle is without its blood supply – the longer the artery remains blocked. Once heart muscle dies, your heart is permanently scarred and damaged, and won’t pump as well as it used to.

Another serious problem caused by a heart attack is cardiac arrest - your heart suddenly stops beating, you collapse (fall down) and stop breathing.  This often happens very early after the start of a heart attack.

Knowing the warning signs of heart attack and acting quickly can reduce the damage to your heart muscle and increase your chance of survival. 

What are the warning signs of heart attack?

The warning signs of a heart attack are different for everyone. For some people they start suddenly and severely. For others, they start slowly with only mild pain or discomfort. And some people don’t get any chest pain at all – only discomfort in other parts of their upper body. Usually, symptoms last for at least 10 minutes.

Heart attack warning signs can include:

• Discomfort or pain in the centre of the chest. It can feel like heaviness, tightness, pressure or like bad indigestion. The discomfort may spread to parts of your upper body.
• Discomfort in the upper body: the arm(s), shoulder(s), neck, jaw or back. You may have a choking feeling in your throat. Or your arms may feel heavy or useless.

You may also:

• feel short of breath
• feel nauseous
• have a cold sweat
• feel dizzy or light-headed

What should you do?

What to do if you have the warning signs of heart attack?

1. Stop – immediately stop what you are doing and rest
2. Talk – If you are with someone, tell them what you are feeling
   If any of your symptoms:
   - are severe
   - get worse quickly
   - have lasted 10 minutes
3. Call Triple Zero (000)* now!
   Ask for an ambulance. Don’t hang up. Wait for advice from the operator.

* If calling Triple Zero (000) doesn’t work on your mobile, try 112.

Remember, it’s always OK to call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance. As soon as you make the call, your treatment begins and you can get advice on what to do while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.

An ambulance is not only the best and safest way to travel to hospital, it also gets you medical attention straight away. Ambulance paramedics can start treating your heart attack as soon as they reach you and also while you’re on your way to hospital.

Plan to survive your heart attack.  Following an Action Plan gives you the best chance of survival and recovery. Order your free action plan online today.

Warning signs educational video

In the following video Professor Ian Meredith talks about the warning signs of a heart attack.

How to avoid having a heart attack

Here are some ways you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack:

• Stop smoking.  If you are a smoker, you should stop smoking. Quitting is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of having a heart attack. 

• Eat healthy food. Healthy eating and drinking is a really important part of looking after your heart. The Heart Foundation has free healthy and easy recipes available online.

• Be a healthy body weight. The best way to have a healthy body weight is to eat healthy food and get regular physical activity. To lose weight you need to use up more energy through physical activity, and consume less energy from food and drinks.

• Be physically active. Do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week. This can be doing something like swimming or brisk walking, or even gardening and vacuuming!

• Be socially active. Being happy and having a good social life with family and friends is very important for your heart health. Depression is more than feeling sad or ‘low’. It is an illness that can be treated. If you think you have depression, talk with your doctor, a family member or a close friend.

• Manage your blood pressure. The key to healthy blood pressure is having a healthy body weight and limiting how much salt is in your food. If you have high blood pressure, make sure you keep taking the medicines your doctor has prescribed and have your blood pressure checked regularly. 

• Manage your cholesterol. To keep a healthy cholesterol level, eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables; lean meat, poultry and oily fish; whole grain foods, and plant and seed oils.  Avoid food that is high in saturated or trans fats.  If you take medicine to reduce your cholesterol, keep taking them as your doctor has advised. 

• Manage your diabetes. If you have been prescribed medicine for diabetes, keep taking your medicines and see your doctor regularly. Work with your doctor to manage your diabetes through healthy eating, physical activity and medicines.

Want to know more?

For more information, please call the Heart Foundation Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87 or visit www.heartfoundation.org.au or www.heartattackfacts.org.au