BBC expert issues winter heart attack 'increase' warning
ABBC doctor is highlighting the increased risk of heart attacks as we enter the colder months. Dr Xand van Tulleken told BBC Morning Live viewers that the drop in temperatures during the autumn and winter can escalate the risk people face.

His warning came as the show also shared a story about a couple who carried out CPR during an emergency after missing warning signs prior to a heart attack. Highlighting why the chilly weather could be dangerous, the doctor explained: "As the weather gets colder, you move blood away from your skin. Your blood also thickens, your blood gets a little bit stickier, your blood pressure goes up and of course viruses and things going around like flu can put a big strain on your system. So that's why we see more heart attacks and strokes in the winter."

To help mitigate the risks, he urges the public not just to dress warmly but also to maintain home temperatures at a minimum of 18C, keep well-insulated indoors and outdoors, and get the flu vaccination. The medical guidance coincides with a harrowing experience shared by a couple who faced a dire situation in which one partner had to administer immediate CPR.

Their ordeal began as Lee suffered chest pains over several days. He and partner Amy originally believed these were anxiety-related due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, by Friday night, the symptoms worsened, resulting in a moment that was a matter of life or death.

Amy shared the chilling details of her partner's ordeal, recounting: "He started having shooting pains in his left arm. He went grey, which we can now obviously look back on and say textbook heart attack symptoms. But with him only being 31 at the time, we just hoped for the best and went to bed."

But these hopes were dashed when shortly after trying to sleep. "He started making this noise," Amy said, adding: "It was like an outward snore and I flicked the light on and that's when I realised he was completely unconscious. I immediately went into panic mode and didn't know what to do."

The situation became critical when Amy called 999 and found Lee wasn't breathing. The emergency operator guided her to lay him on the floor and start chest compressions.

Paramedics arrived swiftly, within 10 minutes, and took over. Reflecting on the frightening experience, Amy expressed regret: "We ignored the heart attack symptoms which then caused him to go into cardiac arrest and he was fitted with three stents and kept in hospital under sedation and intensive care for a further five days."

Lee recounted the chilling ordeal, but said: "In some ways I'm really fortunate that I can remember everything. A lot of people that go into cardiac arrest do experience memory loss - either they lose a memory of the day before or the week before but for me because Amy started CPR so quickly after I went into cardiac arrest within seconds I have full memory of the night."

Amy, who picked up CPR skills from a basic first aid course, highlighted the lifesaving impact of such training: "At the time you think you're never going to have to perform CPR on anyone let alone someone you love. Just having that little bit of knowledge of where to put your hands, how hard you need to push, how fast you need to push..." She added with urgency: "You can just take 15 minutes out of your day and learn CPR because you just never know."

With winter on the horizon and the associated increase in heart attack risks, Dr Xand van Tulleken offers a vital guide on how to perform CPR. You can watch the video above where Dr Xand breaks down the CPR process in a bid to equip people with information about the essential life-saving technique.