Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary Heart Disease… Ultimate Mishaps
While in the practice of dentistry I had the sad experience of seeing first hand, the ultimate culmination of coronary heart disease. On two occasions I witnessed the experience of two heart attacks. The first one was while on duty at the dispensary of the Navy base at Stockton, California. The subject was a man in his late 40’s.
He had come to the dispensary because he was “not feeling well”. Before the medical doctor could see him, he began to have chest pains, shortness of breath, an ashen colored skin, cold skin… and a faint feeling. The medical doctor rushed in and immediately correctly diagnosed the problem as a heart attack after a quick check of vital signs.
The treating physician immediately called for oxygen and administered morphine for pain. In addition the doctor gave reassurance to the patient who was suffering great anxiety. The patient was immediately transferred to cardiac care in a hospital and survived the episode with minimal damages.
The second case that I would cite was that of a woman in her late 50’s. She had arrived at a clinic where I and 5 other dentists were pooling our knowledge and resources to treat difficult denture patients. These were patients who had usually had several unsuccessful sets of dentures. This lady seemed a bit anxious when she arrived.
As the lady was removing her coat she immediately collapsed and fell to floor with a cardiac arrest…due to a heart attack. It was the ultimate blow to a woman suffering from chronic coronary heart disease. She was overweight and most probably on a poor diet. We took turns giving her CPR (Cardio-pulmonary-resuscitation), with oxygen, while awaiting the emergency vehicle. The number 911 was not yet operational and we knew enough to call the fire department for immediate response. They came within minutes versus a reported delays of up to 30 minutes for an ambulance… at that time.
Sad to report, after transfer to the hospital, the personell there were unable to keep her alive beyond a few hours. The coronary heart disease was so advanced and the heart attack was so massive that her body was unable survive. The lesson to be learned is take preventive measures of good diet, exercise and pay attention to blood pressure and other warning risks for coronary heart disease. Denis Van Loan D.D.S.
