29/08/2025
A young man 37 yrs of age having gastritis like symptoms went to nearby hospital at night , Ecg was perfectly normal given some antacids and send home .
Next morning his symptoms didn't improve he decided to go to another hospital where ecg had frank presentation of heart attack and patient was asked to get admitted.
I was called as a visiting interventional cardiologist for my opinion. I tried my level best to convince the family to get angiography done but they denied it as father got his stent done from some other hospital 10 yrs back . They left the hospital and while shifting him into ambulance he developed cardiac arrest and attendants now with folded hands requested me to revive him and do his angioplasty .
Our icu staff tried level best but patient couldn't be revived and declared dead !!
Lessons:
Not everyone will reach the hospital !!
Not everyone will get a senior Interventional cardiologist waiting for your consent !!
Not everyone will get a vacant cath lab waiting for you !!
If you are lucky and reach hospital, and a cardiologist waiting for your consent, please don't take heart attacks in young males lightly . In few minutes situation worsens due to life threatening arrhythmias .
Whole family regretted their decsn and with folded hands in the end said to me , we never expected things go wrong so fast. Father with his broken words said to me aap humko daantkar yahin angioplasty kar deti.
Frankly speaking I too felt that pain of his father in the end. But without consent we cannot operate.
Hope this post make people more aware not to take any symptoms lightly in young males with a family history of heart diseases and not to leave a senior Interventional cardiologist who is ready to finish her angioplasty in half an hour .
Make your decisions fast , as a senior Interventional cardiologist I will take my time to do a successful primary angioplasty in heart attack !!