The British Heart Foundation states that "It’s a common misconception that men and women experience different symptoms when having a heart attack.

While symptoms vary from person to person, there are no symptoms that women experience more or less often than men." However, there is evidence that:

• Heart attacks are seen as something that happens to men but not women and this delays appropriate treatment
• Women themselves are more likely to dismiss the idea that they may be having a heart attack and delay seeking medical attention

It’s important to recognise the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, take them seriously and act quickly to prevent damaging the heart muscle. You will learn more about this later in the course.

People may be unsure of how to give chest compressions and apply AED pads when a casualty has breasts. Chest compressions are exactly the same for all adult and child casualties.

You place your hands in the centre of the chest, on the lower half of the sternum. If a casualty is lying on their back, breast tissue will naturally fall to the side of the body and will not stop you from placing your hands in the correct position for CPR.

Remember that you play a key role in the chain of survival. Do not delay giving CPR because you are worried about touching the casualty's breasts. There is nothing inappropriate about it in a life-saving situation where you are trying to give that person their only chance for life.

It is not always necessary to remove the casualty's clothing to give chest compressions. You will only need to do so if it is bulky and stops you from seeing where to place your hands in the correct position.

However, you will need to remove clothing to apply AED pads. Do not be put off doing this because of the taboo of baring a woman’s chest in public.

For every minute that someone’s in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%. Resuscitation Council (UK)

Cultural sensitivity is important but saving a life is your top priority in a life-threatening emergency.

After clothing is removed from the chest and AED pads are placed, available cloth can be placed back over the chest to preserve modesty. Protecting privacy can also be achieved by reminding bystanders to respect the casualty.

Photos and videos are inappropriate in these situations. Ask another rescuer or bystander to move people away from the scene so that only those helping  are in view of the casualty's exposed chest.

People may hesitate or avoid performing CPR on a woman for fear of being accused of sexual assault or inappropriate physical contact.

When you call the emergency services, the call handler will guide you through giving CPR. Calls are recorded which provide documentation of the situation and the steps taken by the first aider.

It's important to remember that if someone is in cardiac arrest they have no chance of life unless you take action and start CPR.