In Maine, Dr. William Phillips was giving a lecture on heart attacks at the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston when he had to respond to a man in the audience having . . . you guessed it . . . a heart attack.
If you are going to have a heart attack, this is probably the place for it. Three cardiac nurses grabbed a defibrillator to help Phillips restart the man’s heart. Phillips then completed his lecture.
Source: Washington Examiner
“The bh isn’t a good surgery candidate so no need to perform tests that come back ‘needs surgery’. If it isn’t an immediately life threatening problem surgery isn’t happening.”
LK,
Very wise. This was confirmed for me years ago by an excellent Doctor I had consulted.
Mike S.: “you have to be your own doctor,”
There were several occasions when I intervened with my father’s care to good effect. I’m convinced “they” would have probably killed him on one occasion if he didn’t have someone to intervene.
The chemical stress test you discuss are supposed to be safer from what I’ve read so I’m glad they worked to good effect for you and that option was available to you.
The stress test the doctor was considering for the better half would have been done in a hospital but they, dr. and bh, just passed on it, why tempt fate if it’s not crucial. The bh isn’t a good surgery candidate so no need to perform tests that come back ‘needs surgery’. If it isn’t an immediately life threatening problem surgery isn’t happening.
“Sometimes you just get lucky.”
frank,
Judging by my life and heart condition, truer words were never spoken.
“many people do have heart attacks while taking stress tests but, there’s no better place to have one.”
LK,
Many people do have M.I.’s (Myocardial Infarction’s,) the term now popular among MD’s.) during stress tests. However, as to place it ain’t necessarily so. Many stress tests (I’ve had perhaps 40 in the last 30 years) are performed outside of a hospital setting. While you are monitored so well that
they would quickly see an M.I. occur, getting you to a good Cardiac ICU could lose you valuable time, that may mean the difference between life and death. Also on treadmill stress tests Doctor’s often try to encourage you to push your limits and that could prove fatal.
In my case, as my disease progressed I would take stress tests induced chemically, with no physical activity involved, I presumed (who knows) that they were safer. The advice “you have to be your own doctor,” which means you have to actively take steps to understand your ailments and understand the possible efficacy/risks of each medical treatment, is something all should follow. In my case I was lucky to have a wife, who relentlessly protected me, through asking pointed questions and doing her own research. I am alive today because of her and I say that as a Doctor confirmed truth, rather than a metaphor.
Frank, My better half was told by his doctor that he needed a stress test but was probably not in good enough shape to take one without having a heart attack, he then went on to mention that many people do have heart attacks while taking stress tests but, there’s no better place to have one. I can’t speak to the truth of the doctors comments but your comment reminded me of that visit. I’m gad to hear your friend survived.
We had a good family friend that was taking a stress test at the hospital as part of a physical when he blacked out. The doctor said it was the worst heart attack he had ever seen a person have & live. The only reason he survived was that the staff saw it happening and was able to start work on him immediately. Sometimes you just get lucky.
I knew there was a reason why I hate Mondays!
Interestingly, the best predictor of having a heart attack is not your weight or age. It is not your blood pressure or cholesterol level. It is not your heart rate or c-reactive protein levels. The best predictor of when you will have a heart attack is a time and day of the week. Anyone want to guess?
It’s early Monday morning, before going to work. Yep, it’s true.
With heart attack survival it is often the luck of the draw. Having survived three the only decent advice I could give, besides the obvious smoking, diet and exercise ones is to control your fear and will your survival. It of course helps to know where the best local hospital is at all times.
Command performance……so did they sell anything….