St John supports Heart Attack Awareness Day

St John Ambulance is lending its support to the British Heart Foundation's latest campaign which launched on the eve of Heart Attack Awareness Day (11 August).

The heart charity’s campaign encourages people to learn more about the less-recognised symptoms of heart attack by inviting them to ‘watch your own heart attack’.

Dr Meng Aw-Yong, Medical Adviser at St John Ambulance, says: ‘We fully support the British Heart Foundation’s campaign as we know from experience that people don’t always recognise heart attack symptoms. Our volunteers often treat people at events who are suffering from sudden fainting, reflux or acid, indigestion or intense sweating and don’t realise they’re having a heart attack.

‘It’s vital to raise awareness of the symptoms, as the sooner a heart attack is recognised, the quicker treatment can be sought and the higher the chances of survival. Knowing some basic first aid can help you make a life saving difference by giving you the confidence and ability to take control in an emergency. Recognising the symptoms will help you give the right information so that the ambulance can prioritise the call.'

‘If someone is suffering a heart attack, call an ambulance and sit them in a comfortable position with knees bent and head supported, to ease pressure on the heart. In addition they can be given 300mg of aspirin to chew slowly if they are not known to have an allergy or reaction to the drug.’

Find out more about our heart attack first aid tips.