What Should I Do If I Have A Heart Attack

If a person suffers from severe chest pains and breathing difficulties then help should be sought as quickly as possible by dialling 999 and asking for the Ambulance Service. When a 999 call is received in one of the Scottish Ambulance Service Emergency Medical Dispatch Centres, an ambulance service operator will ask the caller a number of questions about the nature of the patient's condition. In most cases, an accident and emergency vehicle is on its way while a call is being answered. In some cases it is essential that the caller remains on the telephone after the details have been obtained since one of the Scottish Ambulance Service's specially trained operators may give advice or instruction on how the patient can be helped whilst waiting for the arrival of the Accident & Emergency vehicle and crew. Callers should remain calm and listen carefully to any instructions which may be given. If the instructions are not understood, callers should ask for them to be repeated.

This is what the Scottish Ambulance Service has determined as a category A call and the accident & emergency ambulance will come to you very quickly, using blue lights and sirens which the crew may turn off once they have your house in their sight. This is to reduce the concern of neighbours. When the Accident & Emergency crew arrives, the patient's condition will be assessed. Oxygen will be given to assist breathing and pain relief will be provided by the paramedic if this is necessary. All of the Scottish Ambulance Service's front line Accident & Emergency ambulances carry items of equipment called defibrillators. These are heart monitoring machines which monitor heart rhythms called ECGs and view your heart from 12 different angles. In cases where an abnormal heart rhythm has been detected, the defibrillator can be used to correct any life threatening conditions.

At this stage, the Scottish Ambulance Service has brought the hospital to the patient. Paramedics carry a large number of drugs, which can be used to alleviate the heart condition, e.g. 'clot busting drugs'. Paramedics are state registered and can prescribe and administer these drugs in their own right. They possess high levels of skill in airway care, similar to that of doctors. They will not rush you to hospital. At this stage their job is to stabilise your condition and this may take up to twenty minutes. Once they are satisfied with you, they will take you to the most suitable hospital for your condition - even if this is further away than your local hospital. They know the best facilities to meet your needs. If required, we in the Scottish Ambulance Service have sophisticated links to coronary care units, which we use to ensure that they have knowledge of your arrival and history. Do not be alarmed if they do not use blue lights and sirens. These are more likely to add to your anxiety but we may use them to prevent long delays if traffic is heavy.

The Ambulance Service in Scotland is very modern in its ability to bring care to you - in 99% of cases the emergency is over when an Accident & Emergency crew arrives and they will spend 20 - 30 minutes improving your condition and preparing you for treatment. In many cases you will not need to go to hospital because the crew have returned you to normal. This is especially true in cases of asthma and diabetes.