Learn how to do anything: How to Survive a Heart Attack when Alone

Heart attacks often occur when people are alone, and knowing what to do when heart attack symptoms come on can save your life. Keep reading for more information.

EditSteps

EditKnow the Warning Signs

Know the most common symptoms. The most obvious and most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort, but there are other typical symptoms you should be aware of, too.
- Chest discomfort usually occurs in the center of the chest. It could also be described as heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, burning, numbness, fullness, or squeezing, and the pain can either last for several minutes or go away and come back. People sometimes mistake it for indigestion or heartburn.^[1]
- You may also experience pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Additional symptoms associated with heart attack can include:
  - Difficulty breathing
  - Sweating or "cold" sweating
  - A feeling of fullness, indigestion, or choking
  - Nausea or vomiting
  - Light-headedness, dizziness, extreme weakness, or extreme anxiety
  - Rapid, irregular heartbeats
Note that women's symptoms can differ. Even though women frequently experience chest pain and other common symptoms of heart attack, they are also more likely to experience less common symptoms, as well.
- These symptoms can include:
  - Upper back pain or shoulder pain
  - Jaw pain or pain that spreads to the jaw
  - Pain that spreads to the arm
  - Unusual fatigue for multiple days
  - Difficulty sleeping
- Up to 78 percent of female heart attack patients have experienced at least one other common or uncommon symptom for more than one month prior to their heart attack.
Never downplay your symptoms. People often expect heart attacks to be dramatic and instantaneous, but the truth is that many heart attacks are mild and can continue for an hour or longer. Mild heart attacks can be just as serious, though, so if you experience any of the symptoms described here for 5 minutes or longer, you should being taking steps to ensure your survival.
- You should try to get treatment for your heart attack within the first hour of your initial symptoms. If you wait longer than that, your heart will have more difficulty repairing the damage. The ultimate goal is to have the constricted artery back open within 90 minutes to minimize damage as much as possible.^[2]
- People often wait to seek treatment because the symptoms vary from what they expect or because they think the symptoms are related to other health issues. They may also delay if they are young and skeptical about a heart attack happening to them or if they are in denial about the seriousness of their symptoms and trying to avoid the embarrassment of going to the hospital for a "false alarm."

EditTake Action

Call 9-1-1 immediately. The most important thing to do when you suspect that you are having a heart attack is to call emergency medical services.
- Always call 9-1-1 before you attempt to contact anyone else. This will almost always be the quickest way to get treatment, and even if you live in an area that an ambulance may have a hard time getting to, the 9-1-1 dispatcher can provide you with instructions on how to minimize the damage.
- Emergency help can begin treatment as soon as they arrive, which is another reason why this is a better option than calling a friend or relative for help.
Consider contacting someone to come over immediately. If you have a trustworthy neighbor or relative who lives nearby, make another phone call asking that person to come meet you. Having another person nearby can be helpful if you suddenly go into cardiac arrest.
- You should only do this if the 9-1-1 dispatcher gives you permission to get off the phone or if you have a second line you can call on while the dispatcher stays on the first line.
- Do not rely on another person to get you to the hospital unless instructed to do so by the 9-1-1 dispatcher. Wait for emergency paramedics to show up.
Chew on aspirin.^[3] Chew and swallow a single 325-mg non-enteric coated aspirin tablet. This is especially effective if done within 30 minutes of your first symptoms.
- Aspirin inhibits platelets, which are a key component in the formation of blood clots. Taking aspirin can delay the formation of blood clots that could further block your arteries during a heart attack.
- Do not use enteric coated tablets since these will release too slowly to be of much use.
- Chew the aspirin before swallowing it. By chewing the aspirin, you release more of the medicine directly into your stomach and hasten its ability to get into your blood stream.
- If you are on a medication that interacts poorly with aspirin or have otherwise been told by your doctor not to take aspirin, do not use this treatment.
Do not attempt to drive. Driving yourself to the hospital is not recommended, and if you begin to experience heart attack symptom while you are behind the wheel, you should immediately pull off to the side of the road.
- The only reason you should consider driving yourself to the hospital is if all other options have been completely exhausted and it is, quite literally, the only way for you to get emergency medical treatment.
- If you suffer from complete cardiac arrest, you will probably end up passing out. This is the main reason why driving while suffering from a heart attack is ill-advised.
Remain calm. As frightening as a heart attack is, rushing around or putting yourself into a state of panic can worsen the problem. Relax as much as possible to keep your heart rate steady and calm.
- To calm yourself down, think of a soothing memory and assure yourself that you have familiarized yourself with what you need to do and that help is on the way.
- Count as a way of slowing your heartbeat. Make sure that your counts are slow, and use the standard one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand... approach.
Lie down. Lie on your back and raise your legs upward. This opens up the diaphragm, making it easier for you to breathe and supply oxygen to your blood.^[4]
- Make the position easier to maintain by propping your legs up on pillows or another object. You could also lie down on the floor with your legs propped up on a couch or chair.
- If you cannot immediately lie down or sit, such as working on a ladder or crossing traffic, you make your way carefully, using the horizon and what you see to help keep yourself oriented. If you feel dizzy, or unable to walk properly, watching a fixed object such as the horizon, or a large fixed object, might help calm you and help you control the situation until help arrives.
Take deep, steady breaths of fresh air. Even though your natural instinct might be to take rapid breaths when you experience a heart attack, the best way to maintain a steady supply of oxygen to your blood and your heart is to take slow, deep breaths.
- Consider lying down in front of an open window, open door, fan, or air conditioner. Providing yourself with a consistent stream of fresh air can further help supply your heart with oxygen.
Do not attempt "cough CPR."^[5] For quite some time, there was an Internet hoax going around saying that you could survive a heart attack when alone by coughing in a particular manner. This probably won't work, and worse still, attempting this technique may even put you in graver danger.
- Cough CPR is used in hospitals on occasion for patients who are about to go into full cardiac arrest. Even then, it should only be done under the strict supervision and instruction of a doctor.
- Attempting this procedure on your own can cause you to accidentally throw off the rhythm of your heart and make it harder to get oxygen into your blood rather than easier.
Avoid food and drink. Eating and drinking are probably the last things on your mind when you experience a heart attack, but just in case, you should avoid food and drink even if you want them. Having anything other than aspirin in your system can make it more complicated for paramedics to give you adequate treatment.
- If necessary, you can swallow a little water to help you get the aspirin into your system, but even this should be avoided if possible.

EditFollow-Up

Talk to your doctor about what to do in the future. Suffering a heart attack once increases your risk of experiencing a heart attack in the future. When you survive your heart attack this time around, you should talk with your physician to discuss ways of improving your chances of survival if you should suffer from one again.
- Your doctor may prescribe certain medications to treat underlying cardiac problems. For instance, he or she might give you nitroglycerin to help widen the blood vessels and lower pressure on the arteries. He or she may also try beta blockers, which work by blocking the hormones responsible for triggering stress responses in the heart and surrounding cardiac tissue.
- A doctor may also give you bottled oxygen for you to inhale should another heart attack occur.
- Aside from talking about medications, you should also talk with your doctor about ways to reduce your risks of experiencing further heart disease through diet, exercise, and lifestyle.
Check into getting a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS). A PERS is an electronic device you can wear around your neck or slip into your pocket. You can activate the device when you experience a heart attack or other medical emergency and are unable to reach a phone to call 9-1-1.
- Even if you have a PERS, you should still call 9-1-1 when you are able to do so. A PERS is not quite as reliable as calling 9-1-1 directly, and you will probably get treatment faster by calling 9-1-1.
- You should also do thorough research before purchasing a PERS to determine which has the best features and the best known reliability.
Pack a "go bag". If you are risk of experiencing a heart attack in the future, you should have your medications and emergency contact information in a bag that can be quickly grabbed on your way to the hospital.
- Keep the bag near the door in an easily accessible area.
Keep a card with your medical information in your wallet, regardless. Include physicians, medications with dosage and contact info for significant others, kin or caretakers.
- Place all your regular medications in the bag so that the paramedics and doctors know what kinds of drugs you are on. Also include a list of doctors and family members to contact in case of emergency.