A startling one in eight victims of heart attacks wait over 24 hours before going to hospital, while a quarter of victims don’t call an ambulance in the event of a heart attack, according to new research by the Heart Foundation.

The data from Victoria’s hospitals revealed the alarming trend, with Heart Foundation CEO Dr Lyn Roberts urging Australians to act proactively in the event of a heart attack.

“These findings are very concerning given that an Australian dies of a heart attack every 53 minutes and half of all heart attack deaths happen before the person reaches hospital,” Dr Roberts said.

“People who are treated within an hour of their first heart attack symptom have the greatest chance of not only surviving their heart attack, but continuing to enjoy a good quality of life.

“It’s always OK to call Triple Zero if you experience heart attack warning signs and if it turns out to be a false alarm then that’s the best thing that could happen,” Dr Roberts said.

Heart attack warning signs may include pain, pressure, heaviness or tightness in one or more parts of the upper body (chest, neck, jaw, arm(s), shoulder(s) or back) in combination with other symptoms of nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness or a cold sweat. For more information, visit www.heartattackfacts.org.au