What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

Expert answer:

The signs and symptoms of a heart attack are:

  • Pain or discomfort in the chest that may radiate to the back, jaw, left arm and right arm (rarer);

    • The pain is usually intense and prolonged, accompanied by a feeling of weight or tightness on the chest;
    • In less frequent cases, the pain may be located in the abdomen;
  • Shortness of breath: In the elderly, this may be the main symptom of a heart attack;
  • Excessive sweating;
  • Pallor;
  • Change in heart rate.

A heart attack is a medical emergency and what you should do is call the emergency service immediately through the number 192.

In the case of a cardiac arrest, cardiac massage should be performed on the victim with strong, rhythmic compressions (100 per minute), and the chest should be about 5 cm deep.

Half of the heart attack deaths occur in the first few hours after the onset of symptoms. Therefore, the sooner the victim receives care, the less damage to the heart.

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