Heart Attack Symptoms: The Quick Reference
Heart Attack Symptoms: the whole thing in five minutes, for when you want the numbers and nothing else.
The warning signs of a myocardial infarction, including the ones that are not textbook.
Key takeaways
- Call 911 if chest discomfort: lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
- Typical description: pressure, tightness, fullness or squeezing
- Most useful single change: Call 911 rather than arranging your own transportation.
- Commonest mistake: Driving yourself or being driven to the hospital.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Call 911 if chest discomfort | lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back |
| Typical description | pressure, tightness, fullness or squeezing |
| Spread that concerns | arm, neck, jaw, back or stomach |
| Associated features | cold sweat, nausea, shortness of breath, lightheadedness |
| More common in women | shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or jaw pain |
| Aspirin | chew one only if the 911 dispatcher advises it and you are not allergic |
In one paragraph
Delay is the largest determinant of damage, and atypical symptoms are a major cause of delay in women, older adults and people with diabetes.
Worth doing
- Call 911 rather than arranging your own transportation
- Sit down and stay calm while waiting
- Chew aspirin only if the 911 dispatcher advises it and you are not allergic
- Learn Hands-Only CPR; survival depends heavily on bystanders
Worth avoiding
- Driving yourself or being driven to the hospital
- Waiting to see whether it passes
- Assuming the absence of classic chest pain rules it out
Related topics
- Suspected Heart Attack: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Emergency Care)
- Stroke: What Published Guidance Supports (Brain Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Circulation and the Feet (Foot Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Breathlessness (Respiratory Health)
Where to go next
- Heart Attack Symptoms: Separating Myth From Guidance
- Starting Out With Heart Attack Symptoms
- Heart Attack Symptoms — the reference entry
- Heart Health: The Complete Guide
- The Evidence on Heart Failure, Without the Hype
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
Call 911 immediately for chest pain or pressure lasting more than a few minutes, pain spreading to the arm, neck or jaw, chest pain with sweating, nausea or shortness of breath, or sudden severe tearing pain spreading to the back. Do not drive yourself to the hospital.
Where this comes from
- American Heart Association — Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute — Heart Attack
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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