[header] How to ease sudden chest pain [title] Recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. [step] A heart attack occurs when the arteries that feed blood to your heart get clogged, blocking off blood flow. This damages the heart and causes the chest pain associated with a heart attack. 
The chest pain experienced during a heart attack can be described as dull, achy, squeezing, tight, or like a heavy pressure. It focuses around the center of the chest.