Heart Attack Warning Signs
Minutes matter with a heart attack. Know the warning signs, know how they differ from cardiac arrest, and know exactly what to do in the first few minutes.
Medically reviewed by the RIIMS medical team · Last updated: June 2026
Go to hospital now
- Chest discomfort lasting more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back: call your local emergency number (in most of India, 108 or 112) immediately
- Call an ambulance and do not drive yourself or the patient. Minutes matter, and an ambulance crew can begin treatment on the way to hospital
- Discomfort spreading to one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, with or without chest pain
- Shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness, even without obvious chest pain
- Someone collapses and is unresponsive, not breathing normally, or only gasping: this is cardiac arrest. Start Hands-Only CPR immediately (push hard and fast in the centre of the chest) and do not stop until help arrives
What does a heart attack feel like, and how is it different from cardiac arrest?
A heart attack happens when a blocked artery stops blood from reaching part of the heart muscle: a circulation problem, in the American Heart Association's own words. Warning signs include chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back, discomfort or pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort, and a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. If you or someone with you has any of these, treat it as a heart attack until proven otherwise. Call an ambulance right away by dialling your local emergency number (in most of India, 108 or 112). Do not drive yourself. Minutes matter, and an ambulance crew can start treatment before you even reach a hospital. Cardiac arrest is a different, more sudden emergency: an electrical problem, where the heart's rhythm turns chaotic and stops pumping effectively. A heart attack is one of several things that can trigger it. Someone having a heart attack is usually awake, talking and able to describe what they feel; someone in cardiac arrest collapses, is unresponsive, and is not breathing normally, or is only gasping. That gasping, sometimes called agonal breathing, is mistaken for normal breathing more often than you would expect, and it is a major reason bystanders hesitate when they should be acting. If someone collapses and is unresponsive with no normal breathing, call for help and start chest compressions immediately: push hard and fast in the centre of the chest. This is Hands-Only CPR, and studies have found it can work as well as CPR with rescue breaths when performed by a bystander on an adult. This matters enormously in India, where published studies put bystander CPR rates at only 1.3 to 9.8%, with AED use around 1%. In most cardiac arrests outside a hospital, the person standing nearby is often the only realistic chance someone has before trained help arrives.
Symptoms to watch for
- Chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
- Discomfort or pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
- A cold sweat
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness
When to consult a doctor
Any of the warning signs above is a reason to act immediately. Do not wait for an opinion or a scheduled appointment. Once the emergency is over, arrange a follow-up with a cardiologist for tests and a risk-reduction plan, and consider learning Hands-Only CPR as a family so you are ready if it is ever needed.