Heart & blood pressure

Chest Pain After 60: Heart Attack or Heartburn? The One Rule a Cardiac Nurse Uses

Nurse Ade, BSN, RN · October 21, 2026 · 16 min

Educational only, not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist. In an emergency, call 911.

What this video covers

Chest pain in the middle of the night leaves many people asking the same question: is this my heart, or just heartburn? In this video, a cardiac nurse explains the heart attack warning signs from the American Heart Association, including pain that goes away and comes back. You will hear why women, older adults and people with diabetes may feel something different, and the difference between stable and unstable angina, including when angina is an emergency.

Nurse Ade also explains why heartburn, anxiety and a sore chest wall cannot safely be ruled out at home, because their clues cannot be trusted on their own. Then she walks through five simple steps: call 911, do not drive yourself, and take aspirin only if the 911 dispatcher tells you to. Finally, you will learn what happens at the hospital, including an EKG within 10 minutes and repeat troponin blood tests. The video ends with three sentences to keep by your phone and a quick quiz. This video is for adults over 60 and the families who love them.

Key points

• The 5 heart attack warning signs, including pain that goes away and comes back
• Why women, older adults and people with diabetes may have different symptoms
• Stable vs unstable angina, and when angina is an emergency
• Heartburn, anxiety, a sore chest wall, and why their clues cannot be trusted alone
• The 5 steps: call 911, do not drive yourself, aspirin only if the dispatcher says so
• What the hospital does next: EKG within 10 minutes and repeat troponin tests

Chapters

1. 0:00 Chest pain at 3 AM: is it your heart?
2. 1:35 The smoke alarm rule: alarm, smoke, toast, fire, call
3. 3:04 What can cause chest pain
4. 3:27 What happens in a heart attack
5. 3:59 5 heart attack warning signs (American Heart Association)
6. 4:42 Women, older adults and diabetes: different symptoms
7. 5:25 Angina: stable vs unstable
8. 6:01 Heartburn, anxiety or a sore chest wall?
9. 7:24 Other emergencies: aortic dissection, blood clot in the lungs
10. 8:06 Two real life examples
11. 8:48 5 steps: call 911, do not drive, aspirin only if told
12. 11:07 At the hospital: EKG and troponin blood tests
13. 12:13 Your questions: what if the pain goes away?
14. 13:10 3 sentences to keep by your phone
15. 13:42 Quick quiz: what do you do?
16. 14:19 Summary and your sticky note