Brits invited to tune in to a heart attack

Brits are being invited to "tune in" to a short film which shows how it feels to experience a heart attack.

The two minute film by the charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) will be shown as a television advert and aims to deliver explicit information on the symptoms of a heart attack.

While BHF has declined to give the full details, billboards urging viewers to "watch their own heart attack" have been erected and the ad will appear on ITV1 on August 10th at 9.17pm.

BHF says it could help save lives by showing people how to recognise the symptoms of a cardiac arrest.

The strategy has been prompted by the fact that as many as 250,000 people suffer heart attacks in the UK ever year and a third die before they reach hospital.

The BHF wants people to be aware of the symptoms which include chest pain, pain in arms, neck or jaw, or feeling sick or sweaty and to call the emergency services immediately.

BHF says they are bringing heart attacks to life in living rooms across the UK because understanding how one could feel could mean the difference between life and death.

The campaign has the full support of ambulance services across the UK who say any endeavour to save lives by teaching people how to identify a possible heart attack and encouraging them to call the emergency services more quickly is better than attending a false alarm or arriving too late.

The campaign also has the backing of celebrities who have lost parents because of a heart attack.