Any heart attack sign, or not sure: call 911

Call 911 even if you are not sure it is a heart attack. Do not drive to the hospital, and do not let someone else drive you: an ambulance team can start tests and treatment on the way. Every minute matters. Source: NHLBI

Call 911 Note the time

Español: señales de emergencia y pasos clave

Heart attack: what you might feel

Not every heart attack starts with crushing chest pain. Signs can start slowly, be mild, and come and go over hours. They can differ between men and women. Tap any you feel.

1. Tap anything you feel now

Chest pain, heaviness or discomfort in the center or left side of the chest. The most common sign.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or above the belly button.
Shortness of breath at rest or with a little activity. More common in older adults.
Sweating a lot for no reason.
Unusually tired for no reason, sometimes for days. More common in women.
Nausea (sick to the stomach) or vomiting.
Light-headed or suddenly dizzy.
A fast or irregular heartbeat.

You marked a heart attack sign. Call 911 now.
Call 911

These are NHLBI’s list. One or more can mean a heart attack. Source: NHLBI

2. Note the time it started

The 911 team will ask when it started. Tap now, or set the time it began.

Or it started earlier, at:

The boxes and the time stay on this page. Nothing is saved or sent. Close the page and they are gone.

3. Good to know

Chest pain that goes away with rest may be angina. Heart attack pain does not go away with rest or medicine. If you do not know which it is, call 911.
Silent heart attacks happen with mild or no signs. They are more common in older adults and in people with diabetes or high blood sugar.
Had a heart attack before? The signs may not be the same the next time.

Source: NHLBI

4. After the hospital: is cardiac rehab covered?

Cardiac rehab is exercise, education and counseling after a heart problem. Tick what happened; the page lists what Medicare Part B covers and what to ask. Source: Medicare Source: 42 CFR 410.49

Without JavaScript: Medicare Part B covers cardiac rehab after a heart attack in the last 12 months, bypass surgery, stable angina, a valve repair or replacement, an angioplasty or stent, a heart or heart-lung transplant, or stable chronic heart failure with an ejection fraction of 35% or less. Ask the cardiologist for a referral.

Next stops

Stroke signs (B.E. F.A.S.T.), at bloodpressure.help.
Your heart risk: eight questions, then the next step.
Living with heart failure: daily weight and warning signs.

Sources

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): Heart Attack, Symptoms (last updated March 24, 2022; checked 2026-10-27). The eight signs, “call 9-1-1 even if you are not sure,” do not drive, angina, silent heart attacks. In our words.
Medicare.gov: Cardiac rehabilitation programs (who is eligible) (read 2026-10-27).
42 CFR 410.49: Cardiac rehabilitation program: conditions of coverage (heart failure with ejection fraction 35% or less and NYHA class II to IV after at least 6 weeks of therapy; up to 2 one-hour sessions a day, up to 36 sessions over up to 36 weeks) (eCFR, read 2026-10-27).