Home / Conditions / Heart Attack
Heart Attack
Reviewed by Dr. Ajay Kaul, M.Ch — Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Noida · Updated August 2026
This can be a medical emergency.
If you or someone with you has chest pain or pressure lasting more than a few minutes, especially with sweating, nausea, or breathlessness — this is a medical emergency. Call for emergency help or get to the nearest emergency room immediately. Do not wait to see if it passes, and do not drive yourself if you can avoid it.
Fortis Noida 24/7 cardiac emergency: +91-120-500-4444A sudden blockage of blood flow to part of the heart muscle — usually because a plaque inside a coronary artery ruptures and a blood clot forms over it. The heart muscle beyond the blockage is starved of oxygen and begins to be damaged within minutes, which is why speed of treatment matters so much.
Symptoms
- Chest pain or pressure, often described as tightness, heaviness, or squeezing
- Pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck, or back
- Breathlessness
- Cold sweat
- Nausea or lightheadedness
- Symptoms can be less typical — more breathlessness or fatigue than pain — in women, older adults, and people with diabetes
Causes & risk factors
- Coronary artery disease, in the large majority of cases
- Sudden plaque rupture with clot formation
- Less commonly, coronary artery spasm
- Rarely, spontaneous coronary artery dissection
How it’s diagnosed
- ECG, performed immediately at first contact — often the fastest way to confirm a heart attack in progress
- Blood troponin levels, which rise when heart muscle is damaged
- Coronary angiography, usually performed urgently to find and treat the blockage
Treatment options
In a heart attack, time is heart muscle. The immediate priority is restoring blood flow as fast as possible — usually with emergency angioplasty and stenting, sometimes with clot-dissolving medication where angioplasty isn't immediately available. Once stabilised, the underlying coronary artery disease is assessed, which may include bypass surgery for some patients.
Common questions
Call for emergency help or get to the nearest emergency room immediately — do not wait, and do not drive yourself if you can avoid it. Every minute matters.
Not sure what your symptoms mean? Ask directly.
Send your reports, or describe what you’re experiencing — Dr. Kaul’s team will guide you to the right next step.