How to Survive a Heart Attack in Hot Weather, According to Experts

The U.S. has been experiencing record high temperatures in recent weeks. Extreme heat can aggravate chronic conditions, including heart problems, so it’s essential to know what to do if someone is having a heart attack.

There are steps you can take to increase your chances of survival and potentially save a life when the unthinkable happens. Here’s how to survive a heart attack or help someone who is having one.

For more tips about your health, read how to check your heart rate at home and CNET’s recommendations for the best heart rate monitors. You also want to learn more about one of the most important elements of your health: your blood type.

Common symptoms of a heart attack

When you think “heart attack,” you might first think of classic symptoms like chest discomfort. But heart attacks can occur differently in men and women, and in people with certain diseases, like diabetes.

Symptoms of a heart attack may include:

• Pain, aching or pressure in your chest that radiates to your jaw, back and/or left shoulder
• Poor digestion or nausea
• Extreme fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• General feeling of being unwell

“Basically everything from the belly button all the way up,” says Dr. Khadijah Breathett, a heart failure transplant cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Indiana University. “Constant pressure should be a reason to see your doctor, and it’s OK if it’s something else. We’d rather have someone come to a provider and get evaluated than sit it out at home, because that’s adding to the increased risk of death.”

1. Call 911, no matter what happens

If you experience any of the above symptoms, doctors advise calling 911 immediately, even if you are not sure whether it is a heart attack.

“If you feel unwell or start to have chest discomfort, seek medical attention quickly, because the sooner you get treatment the better,” says Dr. Grant Reed, interventional cardiologist and director of the Cleveland Clinic STEMI program. “Many patients ignore their symptoms, and by the time they come in, their heart muscle has already died.”

The biggest indicator of how well you’ll do after a heart attack is how quickly you recognize your symptoms, Reed adds. There’s a strong relationship between when you have your heart attack (which is generally when symptoms begin) and how quickly doctors can open the blocked coronary artery that’s causing the attack — the shorter the time, the better. better resultsnot only in terms of survival, but also in terms of the chance of heart failure or hospital readmission.

When you arrive at the hospital, medical professionals will likely perform an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), which will diagnose a heart attack. If it is a heart attack, you will be taken to the cardiac catheterization lab, where a coronary angiogram will be performed. If you have a blockage in your coronary artery, doctors will offer treatment with a balloon and stent to keep the artery open.

Many people hesitate to seek emergency medical care due to lack of insurance or immigration status. But in the U.S., hospitals are required to treat all people who come in with life-threatening emergencies.

“It’s much better to get treatment and deal with the financial consequences later,” Reed says. In most cases, the costs can be settled with the hospital, he adds.

2. Have an ambulance take you to the hospital

If you think you’re having a heart attack, don’t drive to the hospital yourself: Call an ambulance. You could pass out and injure yourself or others on the road, says Dr. Joel Beachey, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wis. The same goes for a loved one who’s driving you: If your symptoms worsen, they won’t be able to help you while they’re driving and may be distracted.

Paramedics can provide you with the best and fastest care while you are en route to the hospital, including assessing and treating you, Beachey says.

If you are with someone who is having symptoms of a heart attack and becomes unconscious, you should first call 911 and then perform CPR, Breathett says. (You can get free CPR training at your local American Heart Association branch and many other places.)

3. Take aspirin if you have it

If you have heart attack symptoms and have aspirin on hand, take a full 325 mg dose after calling 911, Beachey says. (If you have baby aspirin, which comes in an 81 mg dose, take four.) He recommends chewing it instead of swallowing it so it’s absorbed into your body more quickly.

The reason? When you have a heart attack, plaque in your arteries becomes unstable and ruptures, forming a blood clot that can block the flow to that artery. Taking aspirin can help break up some of that clot.

4. Stand up for yourself

While in an ideal world, health care providers would take all patient concerns seriously when it comes to heart attack symptoms, studies show that women and people of color are less likely to receive adequate treatment for heart attacks and heart disease. For example, older black women were 50 percent less likely to receive treatment when they arrived at a hospital with symptoms of a heart attack or coronary artery disease than white women, including after accounting for education, income, insurance status, and other heart health complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure, a Study 2019 found.

“It’s been very clear for most of our history in the United States that women and people of color are not heard,” Breathett said. “Their symptoms are ignored and they have worse outcomes. As a health care system, we have a lot of work to do to change that system so that everyone can receive equal care, regardless of their demographic.”

Until then, patients need to be their own advocates and stand up for themselves, she adds. And if they aren’t heard, they have the right to seek care elsewhere.

A tip from a resident on TikTok: If you feel like a provider isn’t taking your symptoms seriously, for your heart health or otherwise, you can ask the provider, “What’s your differential diagnosis?”

A differential diagnosis is a term used to describe what different conditions could be contributing to your symptoms, essentially asking your healthcare provider to explain why they’ve ruled out a heart attack and what else it could be. “That can help someone realize, oh, I haven’t done effective testing to make sure this isn’t heart disease,” Breathett says.

You can also bring a family member or friend to ask questions on your behalf. If possible, write down your questions in advance so that you can have them answered during your short visit. And call back with any questions that are not answered. If you are not satisfied or feel like you are not being heard, seek out another care team.

5. Work on prevention

You’ve heard it a million times, but that’s because it’s true: the best way to prevent a heart attack means eating healthy, exercising moderately for 120 to 150 minutes a week, keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and not smoking.

Heart attacks can happen to people of any age, race, or gender. You should have regular physical exams with your doctor to assess your risk and make lifestyle changes that can help prevent it. Some people may also benefit from taking a baby aspirin daily as a preventative measure, but you should talk to your health care provider about this.

According to Beachey, exercise is important, even if you have a history of heart problems.

Knowing what to do to prevent and respond to a heart attack is just one of many important elements of your health that you should know. Read on to learn the best workouts to strengthen your heart, the difference between the types of cholesterol And how your diet affects your health. And if you’re looking for new ways to monitor your stats, check out CNET’s list of recommended tools fitness trackers And blood pressure monitors.