Heart attack first aid

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Heart attack symptoms

Symptoms of heart attack

First aid - heart attack; First aid - cardiopulmonary arrest; First aid - cardiac arrest

Heart attacks can cause a wide range of symptoms, from mild to intense. Women, the elderly, and people with diabetes are more likely to have subtle or unusual symptoms.

Symptoms in adults may include:

• Altered mental status, particularly in the elderly
• Chest pain
  • Usually in the center of the chest
  • Lasts for more than a few minutes or comes and goes
  • May feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness
  • Pain may be felt in other areas of the upper body, such as the jaw, shoulder, one or both arms, back, and stomach area
• Cold sweat
• Light-headedness
• Nausea
• Numbness, aching, or tingling in the arm (usually the left arm)
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness or fatigue, particularly in the elderly

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Women are more likely than men to have symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, back or jaw pain, and shortness of breath, either alone or with chest pain.

Babies and children may appear limp and unresponsive and may have bluish-colored skin.

Review Date: 07/08/2009
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).