Heart attacks kill in two ways: the event itself, and the hour families lose to denial, home remedies and the drive-him-ourselves instinct. You cannot control the first. The second is entirely yours.
Recognise it broadly
The textbook crushing central chest pain is only one presentation. Pressure or heaviness, pain into the jaw, neck or left arm, sudden breathlessness, cold sweat, nausea, or an unexplained sense of doom all count — and women, diabetics and the elderly often present with the vaguer forms. The rule: new, unexplained symptoms above the waist, treat as cardiac until proven otherwise.
The right first moves
- Sit the person down; stop all exertion — no climbing stairs to pack a bag
- Call an ambulance immediately; say ‘chest pain’ clearly
- If the person has prescribed sorbitrate/nitroglycerin, they may take it as directed
- Loosen tight clothing; keep them calm and still
- If they become unresponsive and stop breathing normally: start chest compressions, hard and fast, centre of the chest — and don’t stop until help arrives
What not to do
Do not drive the patient yourself if an ambulance can reach you — a cardiac arrest in a car’s back seat is unmanageable, while an equipped crew can defibrillate on the spot. Do not give food or water. Do not wait for symptoms to ‘settle’ — the treatment window for opening a blocked artery is measured in minutes of muscle.
Destination: think cath lab, not just ‘hospital’
The definitive treatment is angioplasty in a catheterisation lab. Hyderabad is rich in cath-lab hospitals across its clusters — the crew’s pre-alert can have a team ready. If your family has a cardiac hospital and cardiologist, keep the name written in your emergency folder; if not, the crew’s nearest-capable-centre judgment is the right default.
Afterwards
Survivors travel: to procedures, reviews, rehabilitation, and often home to other cities. Post-cardiac transfers deserve monitored vehicles and gentle schedules — see our cardiac ambulance service page for how those journeys are run.
Need help with a patient journey?
Our line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day.
Call +91 99210 86108 WhatsApp Request a call back