What do I do if I think I'm having a heart attack?

What do I do if I think I'm having a heart attack?

Rose Marie Robertson, MD, FAHA, FACC, FESC (Chief Science Officer and Past President of the Board of American Heart Association) gives expert video advice on: What do I do if I think I'm having a heart attack?; How can I examine myself for heart disease?; What questions should I ask my doctor if I am diagnosed with a heart condition? and more...

If you think you are having symptoms that might mean your having a heart attack, the key thing is to act on those symptoms. It's very tough to do that if you're sitting in a meeting, you're presenting, you're listening in a class, or you're with a group of people at dinner. It's pretty embarrassing to stop all of that and say, 2Wait a minute, I think I'm not feeling well, I think I need to go to the hospital." People are very reluctant to disrupt the activities around them, but it's important to do it if you think you're having a heart attack. Call 911 if you have symptoms that might be a heart attack. It brings help to you and it gets you to the hospital quickly, and it avoids your being alone and uncovered in a circumstance where you might have a sudden cardiac arrest - the greatest risk in those first few hours.