Heart Attack —
What You Need to Know

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked — most often by a clot forming over a ruptured plaque in a coronary artery. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack, making it one of the most common and most preventable medical emergencies. Symptoms are not always the dramatic chest-clutching moment portrayed in movies — many people experience jaw pain, fatigue, nausea, or back discomfort, and women in particular often present with atypical symptoms that go unrecognized. This collection brings together reliable and relevant sources on heart attack recognition, risk, and recovery — from federal health agencies, leading academic medical centers, and firsthand survivor accounts — so you can have more informed conversations with your cardiologist and healthcare team.