Acute left heart failure should be considered if the patient presents with symptoms of marked dyspnoea, terminal breathing, cyanosis of the lips, profuse sweating and coughing pink frothy sputum. While calling 120, if the patient is still conscious, the patient should be kept in a sitting or semi-recumbent position with legs down as far as possible to try to relieve his or her dyspnoea symptoms.
If the patient is already in shock, they should be kept in a semi-recumbent or flat position. If the patient has coronary artery disease himself, he may be given sublingual nitroglycerin first aid in appropriate amounts according to the drug instructions. The family or the rescuing public should transfer the patient to the hospital for resuscitation as soon as possible without delay. It is recommended that the patient be transferred in a wheelchair or on a stretcher, rather than being carried to the hospital by the patient himself or his family, so as not to increase the burden on the heart.