Emergency Heart Attack Care: What to Do Before Help Arrives

When someone is having a heart attack, a medical emergency caused by blocked blood flow to the heart muscle. Also known as a myocardial infarction, it doesn’t always look like the movies—no clutching chest, no dramatic collapse. Often, it’s just discomfort, nausea, or fatigue that gets ignored until it’s too late. Every minute counts. If blood flow isn’t restored within 90 minutes, permanent heart damage begins. That’s why emergency heart attack care starts the moment you recognize the signs—not when the ambulance arrives.

Most people don’t realize that CPR, a life-saving technique that keeps blood moving when the heart stops pumping can double or triple survival chances. You don’t need to be a medic to do it. Hands-only CPR—firm, fast pushes in the center of the chest—is all most people need to know. And if you’re near an automated external defibrillator, a device that can shock the heart back into rhythm, use it. These machines talk you through every step. They’re in malls, airports, gyms, and schools. If someone collapses, call 911, start CPR, and grab the AED. That’s the chain of survival.

Heart attack symptoms vary. Men often feel crushing chest pain. Women, older adults, and diabetics are more likely to have nausea, jaw pain, backache, or sudden exhaustion. Some think they’re just having indigestion or the flu. Don’t wait to see if it goes away. If symptoms last more than a few minutes, don’t drive yourself. Call for help. Don’t give aspirin unless instructed—some people have allergies or bleeding risks. And never try to ‘tough it out.’ The average person waits over two hours before seeking help. That delay kills.

What you’ll find below are real, practical guides from people who’ve lived through this—whether it’s spotting silent heart attack signs, understanding why some people delay care, or how to prepare your home for a cardiac emergency. No fluff. No theory. Just what works when every second counts.