My Friend Had a Heart Attack

I have very few close friends.  Slowly as we marry and have families, one by one dropped off as we are busy raising our family.  At first, we still meet up during Chinese New Year.  But slowly even this once a year meet up is dropped off. 

Recently, we called to get some information that he revealed he had a heart attack.  He said he wake up in the middle of the night to pass motion and felt the symptons.  So he called for the ambulance.  His parents were sleeping in the bedroom.  He just go with the ambulance by himself.  His parents are old, one has dementia.  So the ambulance brought him to Tan Tock Seng.  The treatment was fast.  They wheel him to do angiogram and immediately insert a stent in one coronary artery that is 100% blocked.  He has another artery that is 30% occlusion.  Now he is on concur and statins. 

Subsequently, I read an article in New York Times about death rate due to heart attacks has been declining.  There is a guideline on treating heart attack victims with speed.  So the cardiologists on standby stayed in a hotel nearby.  One cardiologist in the hospital at all time.  There are cases where backup cardiologists are called in when more than one patient are in at the same time.  This explains why my friend was treated immediately by a cardiologist in the middle of the night.

It is a good protocol as my friend now leads a normal life albeit with aspirin and other pills for the rest of his life.  Before, he will have live with a heart at 30% capacity or less limiting his abilities to do anything physically demanding activities other than basic walking.

Kudos to the Heart Attack Protocol!!