After going out for dinner one night in October 2018, Mackay man James Bugeja "just didn't feel well" and decided to get himself help.
Thinking it was indigestion, Mr Bugeja drove himself to the Mackay Base hospital and, after multiple blood tests, was confirmed to have had a heart attack.
Mr Bugeja said he had no idea that was what was happening when he was behind the wheel.
"I had a very lucky, very, very mild heart attack," he said.
"No heart damage, no muscle damage — nothing like that.
"Because I'm reasonably fit … head down, bum up seven days a week, 14-hour days, it never, never, never occurred to me."
'If in doubt, call triple-0'
Mr Bugeja is one of the many Australians living in the bush who have driven themselves to hospital while experiencing a heart attack.
Andrew Borchardt, officer-in-charge at the Gemfields Ambulance Station in Emerald in central Queensland, said that was concerning to paramedics.
"I wouldn't say it's an everyday occurrence, but when we're talking about potentially life and death sort of situations, it occurs often enough with us that we do find that it can be a problem," he said.
"I think there is probably a little bit of a mentality of not wanting to bother the ambulance, thinking that the issue they may have doesn't warrant the ambulance service, maybe not being aware of what the ambulance can do for them."
Mr Borchardt said it was best to err on the side of caution, even with mild symptoms.
"If in doubt … [it's best] to call triple-0 and let us come to you," he said.
'Phone a friend'
Once the ambulance is called, the dispatcher can start a process that can mean the difference between life and death.
"I always liken it to 'phone a friend'," Mr Borchardt said.
"They'll start to help you initially, they'll help you with first aid and initial treatment, and then they'll start to dispatch us very quickly — within a minute.
"Then you're linked into basically a coordinated system … calling triple-0, you're not only activating us, but we may be activating hospitals and aeromedical evacuation and all these sorts of things.
Delays cost lives
While Mr Bugeja was lucky to have escaped with no long-term effects, others have not been so lucky.
Queensland Ambulance Service Eidsvold officer-in-charge Wayne Harper said delaying calling an ambulance could have devastating consequences.
"I've certainly experienced a case in northern Queensland where a gentleman thought he was having indigestion, and often the signs of a heart attack can mimic those of indigestion," he said.
"By the time I got there, he was having a massive heart attack.
"He survived, but he lost 52 per cent of the function of his heart, just because he delayed in calling us."
Mr Harper said it was not just about getting to hospital sooner. Recent advancements allowed paramedics to provide on-the-spot treatment.
"Conditions like a heart attack, we have the ability now and the drugs in our kit, and the training that if certain circumstances exist we can treat the heart attack exactly the same or almost exactly the same as what happens in hospital."
