Lesson 15
Heart attack and angina attack
What is a cardiac arrest?
A cardiac arrest happens when someone’s heart stops.
If someone has become unresponsive and they are not breathing normally, they could be in cardiac arrest and you need to act quickly. Call 999 or 112 for emergency help and start CPR, using a defibrillator if available.
Signs and symptoms
If someone has a cardiac arrest, they may:
Unresponsiveness.
Not breathing normally.
No movement or show signs of life.
Angina attack
What is an angina attack?
Angina is pain in the chest. It occurs when arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed and restrict blood flow. This can happen when doing exercise, including walking. It can also happen with increased excitement.
Signs and symptoms
The casualty may:
Have a crushing pain in the centre of their chest, that may spread to their jaw and down one or both arms.
Have pain which may ease with rest.
Have shortness of breath.
Experience sudden and extreme tiredness
feel anxious.
What to do?
1. Instruct the casualty to stop what they are doing and help them to sit down. Try to reassure them and make them comfortable.
The best position is on the floor with their knees bent and their head and shoulders supported.
You could place cushions behind them or under their knees.
If this is their first angina attack or they have no angina medication on them, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
2. Ask if the casualty has any angina medication, like a spray or tablets. If they do, let them take it themselves but help them if needed.
3. If the pain is still there five minutes after taking the medication, suggest they take a second dose and keep any bystanders away.
4. If they are still in pain after another five minutes, or the pain returns, suspect it’s a heart attack. Call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
5. If the pain subsides within 15 minutes after they’ve rested or taken medication, they should usually be able to go back to what they were doing.
If they are worried, tell them to seek medical advice.