DUBAI 1 May 2019: Medcare, the premium healthcare division of Aster DM Healthcare, reported a recent cardiac arrest case linked to heavy cigarette smoking coupled with treatment non-compliance. A 41-year-old male patient was brought into the emergency room of Medcare Hospital Sharjah by a friend, where he soon became unconscious and collapsed – doctors found he was having a cardiac arrest due to a lack of blood flow to the heompliant with prescribed treatment.
Dr. Hany Fathy, Specialist Emergency Medicine at Medcare Hospital Sharjah, and his team immediately carried out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for over an hour to successfully revive the patient. When the patient was in a stable condition, an electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed acute myocardial infarction. Dr. Tamer Taha, Consultant non Interventional cardiologist at Medcare hospital Sharjah immediately advised for specific medication to restore blood pressure and to transfer the patient immediately for urgent coronary angiography. The medical team transferred the patient to Medcare Hospital Dubai to the care of Dr Yahya Kiwan, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Medcare Hospital Dubai, where a coronary angiography was done immediately and revealed total occlusion of the main right coronary artery. Life-saving percutaneous angioplasty procedure was done and one stent was deployed in the occluded artery and the blood flow was restored.
“The patient arrived in a very critical start, but the emergency team did an excellent job to revive him from cardiac arrest. Our team diligently performed CPR and persisted for an hour despite the bad prognosis” noted Dr Fathy. “We worked extremely quickly to coordinate care between Medcare Sharjah and Dubai. In this case, the time between myocardial infarction diagnosis and the angioplasty procedure was only 60 minutes – which is within the recommended time for a successful procedure”.
Although cigarette smoking has long been linked to cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac events such as myocardial infarction, recent studies provide new clarity around the relationship. One study found that smokers are more likely to suffer more severe myocardial infarctions (or heart attacks) at a significantly younger age and affecting multiple arteries, when compared with non-smokers.[1] Smokers also more commonly have complications associated with heart attacks such as pulmonary oedema and have a higher trend towards in-hospital mortality.1
“This serious patient case was attributed to years of heavy smoking and non-compliance to treatment despite a serious operation just two years before. There is a need for increased awareness around the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, in particular the risk of cardiovascular disease. At Medcare, we always advise patients with cardiac problems to quit smoking and to schedule regular follow ups with their doctor to avoid sudden and potentially-fatal issues, as was seen in this case” said Dr Kiwan.
