My Grandaunt Survived the Heart Attack!

Last week, my grandaunt had a heart attack and was conveyed to Changi General Hospital just in time for her to be rescued after an emergency angioplasty (PCI).

Recalling her condition at the accident and emergency department, it is hard to imagine that she is now well enough to be discharged from the hospital after 3 days at the medical ICU followed by another 2 days at the general ward.

She is chatty now, relieved that she is well. The chinese believes that if one manages to overcome a major huddle (eg heart attack) and survives, then one will have many years more to live. For my grandaunt, this cannot be better news as she is already 79 years young! She kept thanking me but I told her that the real heroes are the nurses and doctors at Changi General Hospital.

Her attack is an instructive lesson for her loved ones. You know how hard is it to tell even my parents not to take our health for granted. Somehow the older generation of folks would ignore signs and symptoms of a medical condition until they become too late. That was exactly the story told by my grandaunt. She started to experience pain on her chest at about 11am. Thinking that it must have been heartburn, she ignored it. By 3pm, my aunt called her, she complained that she has been experiencing chest pain and had just taken 2 extra strong panadol and found some relief. Right after the call, she started to vomit and fortunately for my grandaunt, her son was at home and called the ambulance. Only when she arrived at CGH that they found out that she had a massive heart attack. When this tale was related to my relatives, the message sank in. Don't ignore our body, take action. It is unfortunate that we need such an event for the lesson to be learnt.

It is also enlightening to discuss my grandaunt's medical episode with doctors around me since I work in a hospital. I realised that there are differing opinions about what my grandaunt needs. Almost instinctively, the response seem to be that we should not do too much given the age of my grandaunt. When I asked if stretokynase is the correct intervention in the first instance, the reaction include this may cause a stroke. When I asked if angioplasty should be done, some said it depends. When I asked what would have been best practice for a patient as old as my grandaunt, the views differed widely. But to be fair, I did not speak to any cardiologist and actually none of them has seen my grandaunt. Maybe, the perception is that my grandaunt at 79 years is frail and confined to the bed but she is not - at her age she is independent and very active. That's why medicine is an Art even though it is grounded in science.

This is not just a lesson about survival but what should one do to survive...