Thursday, January 07, 2010

Today's new word--Myocardial Infarction

This isn't a new word, but when I see it in print I do slow down--sort of like a "detour ahead" or Big funny words ahead. A myocardial infarction is a heart attack, and ischemia is lack of oxygen to the heart muscle cells, which may have been caused by plaque, a build up of fatty junk, in the arteries which supply the blood to the heart.

Whether or not you listen to Rush Limbaugh, heart attacks (myocardial infarction) have been in the news, either because you heard his confirmation of the excellent care he received from EMTs and at a hospital in Hawaii after experiencing severe chest pain (including aspirin and nitroglycerin tablet before getting to the hospital) or you heard one of the many MSM talkers complaining that he had politicized his emergency by announcing the U.S. has the best health care in the world.



Actually, that's not at all political--although the liberal talkers made it that way. First of all, heart disease is the leading cause of death because our excellent health care and research have pushed it to the top by eliminating so many of the childhood diseases that used to kill or weaken us--scarlet fever, polio, early onset diabetes, measles, etc. Both liberals and conservatives and libertarians should be able to agree that there are many health concerns that only the federal government can tackle--like clean water and air, safe highways, speed limits, and food purity, etc. The political challenge comes in deciding how far can you go in eliminating all risk without destroying people's ability to earn a living so they don't succumb to other health problems--like starvation and freezing for instance.

Secondly, I can't recall ever talking to anyone in the last decade who was rushed to the ER with chest pains who didn't rave about the near miraculous care they received. While Rush was explaining the procedures as he remembered them, a cardiologist from central Illinois called the show (that's called "down state" for those of you not from that area since Chicago overwhelms everything else) and reported that what Rush described was exactly what anyone would receive at his small hospital, regardless of insurance, gender, or celebrity. Rush put his emergency care on his credit card because he's one of the millions of Americans who chooses not to use health insurance, which is his right at this time, but will not be under the new PORK (Pelosi-Obama-Reid-Kennedy) Plan. Liberals continue to quote inaccurate stats--it's not 47 million--and the PORK Plan will not cover all the 10% of our citizens who currently do not have insurance because of choice, neglect to sign up, or being between jobs, or lack of money. Also, no health plan in the world will make Rush exercise more or lose weight or stop smoking cigars--that's the same option we all have regardless of our insurance, lectures from the family doctor, or New Year's Resolutions. He loves his steak, his exercise seems to be limited to golf outings and jaw boning, and he probably doesn't like vegetables. Everyone should know Yo-Yo dieting is unhealthy, but he's a poster child for that method of weight control.

However, he's right about our quality of care. He was treated immediately and didn't need a queue for tests to return when the damage was unrepairable. A free-market economy, whether for heart attacks or building automobiles or publishing on the Internet, is the healthiest way to go for Americans. It is our regulators, unions, creeping socialism in every aspect of life, and our federal bureaucracy that are increasingly plugging up the arteries of our economy with fatty barriers.

BTW, if you google "Myocardial infarction Rush Limbaugh" you get only one hit (now there will be two)--I think it was Money Times (it reports he makes about $50 million a year). You have to use "heart attack" to get all the articles, bizarre comments and smear attacks. That one source linked to over 3,000 that used other language.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"so they don't succumb to other health problems--like starvation and freezing for instance"

or death panels, or rationing, or going to jail for not having insurance

Anonymous said...

Murray sez:
If you think you are having a heart attack or any other health emergency, DO NOT...I repeat DO NOT drive the person to a hospital ER no matter how close you are to the hospital. CALL 911! Why? Because if you go to the hospital ER, before you can see a doctor, the admission people will ask you for insurance information and various health questions BEFORE you get the attention of a physician. I mean, you could die while filling in their blanks. Whereas if you call 911 they will come to you and start medical assistance immediately based on what you tell them. This could save your life.
One of the reasons why you are delayed at admissions is because chances are their waiting room is usually filled with people who have no insurance and have been waiting their turn all day. This is the hospital's way of screening out the people trying to get to the front of the line. Plus determine whether or not you are truly an emergency.
Unfortunately this happened to me.

Norma said...

Murray, I agree. Getting to the ER on your own is a nightmare, even if going in the squad is scary. Once I was wheeled into ER from another clinic, but it was sure faster.

mdoneil said...

You cannot be asked for your insurance information before being seen by a medical professional. It is a federal law.

Murray is right that if you are having chest pain or think you're having an MI you should call an ambulance, but not because you will be asked for your insurance information, but because you could die before you get to the ER. The paramedics can begin treating an MI in the field, with aspirin, nitro and EKGs.

I was an ER nurse for a decade in a chest pain ER for most of that time. Rapid intervention saved countless lives. We had patients diagnosed with MI within minutes of their presentation, and our record from door to cath lab is 23 minutes.

Time is muscle (heart muscle). If you have chest pain call an ambulance. You get the same care if you are insured or uninsured. Trust me the doctors and nurses could care less if you are insured. Some people do choose their careers for the good they can do and not necessarily solely for the money. Sure it is nice to be paid for your work, but it is nicer to save a life.