New Delhi. Water–soluble aspirin and clot-dissolving drugs can stop most heart attacks in progress, reduce disability and save lives. They work best if given within one hour of when sings of heart attack begin to appear.

It is therefore important to recognize the warning signs of a heart attack and act right away, said Dr. K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India.

Every year, over 24 lakh people die of heart attacks in India. About half of those deaths take place within one hour of the onset of warning signs and before the patient ever reaches a hospital.

The 5 Warning Signs of a Heart Attack, which every body must know

• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back

• Feeling weak, lightheaded, or faint

• Chest pain or discomfort

• Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder

• Shortness of breath

Act fast

• Take 300 mg water–soluble aspirin and chew it if a heart attack is suspected.

• Get yourself rushed to a nearest heart centre for clot–dissolving therapy.

• You may require an emergency angiography and angioplasty to remove the clot.

• If there is a cardiac arrest, the bystander should give chest compression, 100 per minute, over the centre of the chest for the next 10 minutes.