Heart attack
Heart attack
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack happens when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is suddenly reduced. When the heart doesn't get enough blood, that part of the muscle can be damaged.
Sometimes, when someone suddenly gets chest pain, it isn't immediately clear whether it's unstable angina or an actual heart attack. Until test results confirm exactly what's going on, doctors may refer to it as Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).
Common Symptoms
Symptom information is not available for this condition yet.
Emergency Warning Signs
Call 999 right away if you or someone with you has:
- central chest pain or discomfort that doesn't go away, felt as pressure, tightness or squeezing
- pain spreading down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach
- loss of consciousness
- seizures or fitting
- difficulty breathing, with snoring or rasping sounds
- a rapid heartbeat
- a heartbeat that is very weak or cannot be felt
- chest pain along with breathlessness, nausea or sweating
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
Call 999 immediately if you or someone nearby has any of the following:
- Central chest pain or discomfort that won't go away. It may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing.
- Pain spreading down the left arm, or both arms, or into the neck, jaw, back or stomach.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Seizures or fitting.
- Difficulty breathing (snoring or rasping sounds).
- A rapid heartbeat.
- A heartbeat that is very slow, weak or cannot be felt.
- Chest pain along with breathlessness, nausea or sweating.
Diagnosis
To find out if you're having a heart attack, you'll need a few tests. These may include:
- an ECG (electrocardiogram), to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity
- blood tests, to check troponin levels, a protein released into the blood when heart muscle is damaged
- a check of your blood pressure
- a check of your blood oxygen levels
- a chest X-ray
- an echocardiogram, to see the structure and function of your heart
- a coronary angiogram, to spot any blood vessels that are narrowed or blocked
Once the results are in, your clinical team will decide on your treatment plan.
Treatment
When someone has a heart attack, blood flow needs to be restored as quickly as possible. This limits damage to the heart muscle and starts to ease symptoms.
Your treatment plan will depend on:
- the type of heart attack you have had
- your individual situation
Types of treatment
Treatment for a heart attack may include:
- anti-emetics, to stop sickness and nausea
- antiplatelet therapy, medication that thins the blood and dissolves blood clots
- coronary angioplasty, a procedure to widen coronary arteries that are blocked or narrowed
- oxygen therapy, to help with breathing and oxygen levels
- pain-relieving drugs, such as morphine
- reperfusion treatment, to help restore blood flow and maintain the heart's pumping action
- thrombolysis, a clot busting drug to help restore blood flow to the heart
People who have had a heart attack will usually need to take several different types of medication afterwards. Your doctor will work to find the medicines that suit you best, with the fewest side effects.
Complications
After a heart attack, hospital, and cardiac rehabilitation
Sometimes problems come up after a heart attack. The most common ones are:
- arrhythmia, meaning the heart's natural electrical rhythm isn't working the way it should
- heart failure, meaning the heart isn't pumping blood around the body as well as it used to
Most of these problems settle on their own fairly quickly. When they linger, medication can often help.
Recovering from a heart attack
How long you need to stay in hospital depends on your own circumstances and treatment. Don't hesitate to ask your medical team about what's happening with your care.
When you're discharged, you should be referred to a cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Cardiac rehabilitation
You should have an assessment to work out your individual goals and needs after a heart attack.
Rehabilitation usually combines exercise with education sessions. Together, these give you the information, advice and support to:
- understand your condition and medication
- recover from your heart attack, procedure or surgery
- make lifestyle changes that improve your heart health
Your cardiac rehabilitation team can also advise you on practical matters after a heart attack, including:
- driving
- mental wellbeing
- relationships
- sexual relationships
- returning to work
- long term recovery
The British Heart Foundation has further information on cardiac rehabilitation.
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