Know When To Call An Ambulance : Don’t Wait On Chest Pain, Stroke Or Severe Bleeding

What would you do if someone next to you suddenly clutched their chest, collapsed, or began bleeding heavily? In those critical moments, your decision can mean the difference between life and death. If you or someone nearby has chest pain, stroke symptoms, or severe bleeding, call your local emergency number 108 immediately — never try to drive yourself to the hospital. Ambulance teams start treatment right away and alert the hospital to be ready for you.

Chest Pain: When to Call

Call immediately for sudden, severe, or unexplained chest pain; pain lasting more than 15 minutes; or pain with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, faintness, or radiation to the arm, back, neck, or jaw.

Heart attack symptoms can be atypical, especially in women, older adults, and people with diabetes 

Symptoms may include:

• Chest pain that may feel like pressure, tightness, pain, squeezing or aching

• Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or sometimes the upper belly

• Shortness of breath

• Cold sweats

• Fatigue

• Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness

• Heartburn

• Nausea

What to do ?

Start CPR if the person doesn't have a pulse or isn't breathing: 

If you're untrained in CPR, do hands-only CPR. That means push hard and fast on the person's chest about 100 to 120 times a minute. If you're trained in CPR and confident in your ability, start with 30 chest compressions before giving two rescue breaths.

Stroke: Use FAST Action

• Face : Does the face droop on one side when the person tries to smile?

• Arms : Is one arm lower when the person tries to raise both arms? Is one arm weak or numb?

• Speech : Can the person repeat a simple sentence? Is speech slurred or hard to understand?

• Time : Every minute counts during a stroke. Call 108 or your local emergency number right away if you see any of these signs.

Other stroke symptoms that come on suddenly and need emergency care include:

• Weakness or numbness on one side of the body, including either leg

• Confusion and having trouble speaking or understanding someone speaking

• Having trouble seeing in one or both eyes. This may include dimming, blurring or loss of vision

• Severe headache — a bolt out of the blue — with no known cause

• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or a sudden fall

What to do ?

• Stay calm and ensure scene safety (keep away from traffic or danger).  

• Check responsiveness: ask name/questions; if no speech, ask for a hand squeeze.  

• If conscious: lay on side with head/shoulders slightly raised; avoid moving; loosen tight clothing; keep warm.  

• Keep airway clear; if vomit/obstruction, use the recovery position.  

• Reassure that help is coming; do not give food or drink.  

• Note symptoms and the exact time they started for EMS handover.  

• If unconscious: place in recovery position; monitor airway and breathing (chin lift, head tilt; look, listen, feel).  

• If not breathing: start hands-only CPR .  

Recovery position (quick steps):  

• Kneel beside; far arm at right angle; near arm across chest.  

• Far leg straight; bend the near knee.  

• Support head/neck; roll onto side (bottom leg straight, top knee bent touching ground).  

• Tilt head slightly forward/down; clear the mouth if needed.

Severe or Uncontrolled Bleeding

• Call for bleeding that doesn’t stop with firm direct pressure after a few minutes, is spurting, soaks through bandages, or is accompanied by pale/clammy skin, dizziness, confusion, or fainting.

•  Call after major trauma or head injury, or if bleeding is from the chest, abdomen, or after a deep/large wound.

What to do ?

• Call your local emergency number if the wound is deep or you're not sure how serious it is : Don't move the injured person except if needed to avoid further injury.
  Before checking for the source of the wound, put on disposable gloves and other personal protective equipment if you have them.

• Remove any clothing or debris from the wound : Look for the source of the bleeding. There could be more than one injury. Remove any obvious debris but don't try to clean the wound. Don't remove large or deeply embedded objects, and don't probe the wound.

• Stop the bleeding : Cover the wound with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. Press on it firmly with the palm of your hand until bleeding stops. But don't press on an eye injury or embedded object. Don't press on a head wound if you suspect a skull fracture.
  Wrap the wound with a thick bandage or clean cloth and tape. Lift the wound above heart level if possible.

• Help the injured person lie down:  If possible, place the person on a rug or blanket to prevent loss of body heat. Elevate the feet if you notice signs of shock, such as weakness, clammy skin or a rapid pulse. Calmly reassure the injured person.

• Add more bandages as needed :  If the blood seeps through the bandage, add more gauze or cloth on top of the existing bandage. Then keep pressing firmly on the area.

• Tourniquets: A tourniquet is effective in controlling life-threatening bleeding from a limb. If needed, apply a commercially made tourniquet if it's available and you're trained in how to use it. Don't use an improvised tourniquet, such as a scarf or a belt.
  When emergency help arrives, tell them how long the tourniquet has been in place.

• Keep the person still : If you're waiting for emergency help to arrive, try to keep the injured person from moving.
  If you haven't called for emergency help, get the injured person to an emergency room as soon as possible.

Emergency Care at Believers Hospital 

When your heart feels tight, stroke signs appear, or bleeding just won’t stop—don’t wait. Our Emergency Department at Believers Church Medical College Hospital in Thiruvalla is always ready for action - open 24/7 with a dedicated team of emergency physicians, paramedics, trauma surgeons, and full support services like imaging, labs, and mobile ICU ambulances—designed to save lives when seconds matter ! 

Quick tip: 

In Case of Emergency contact  7845247365 (Available 24×7 )

Save our ICE number in your phone and post it at home and work ! 

Also, jot down exactly when your symptoms started—that timestamp can be a game-changer in stroke care.

In a crisis, calling an ambulance isn’t just a call—it’s hope in motion, and our Emergency Department is your first line of lifesaving help.