Heart attacks are the single biggest killer of
Heart attacks are the single biggest killer of Australians each year. 54,000 Australians suffer from a heart attack each year (This equates to one every 9 minutes). This week is heart foundation heart week and below are the Warning signs of a heart attack which you can share with your patients: (You may have just one of these symptoms, or you may have a combination of them.) Symptoms can come on suddenly or develop over minutes and get progressively worse. Symptoms usually last for at least 10 minutes. Discomfort or pain in the centre of your chest. This can often feel like a heaviness, tightness or pressure. People who have had a heart attack have commonly described it as like “an elephant sitting on my chest”, “a belt that’s been tightened around my chest” or “bad indigestion”. The discomfort may spread to different parts of your upper body. Discomfort in your upper body (arm/s, shoulder/s, neck, jaw or back). You may have a choking feeling in your throat. Your arms may feel heavy or useless. You may also experience other signs and symptoms: Feel short of breath Feel nauseous Have a cold sweat Feel dizzy or light-headed. Some people have also described feeling generally unwell or “not quite right”. (Source: Heart Foundation) Act fast because every minute counts if you experience these symptoms and call 000 