Sep
01
2004

Stop That Heart Attack

By | Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure

There is a window of opportunity for the patient who is rushed to hospital with a heart attack.

To be precise: if the patient is brought to hospital without delay, and there are changes in the ECG, which traces the heartbeat, and there are changes that point to the possibility of a heart attack, there is a chance to administer medication that prevents blood clots. If these “clot busters” are administered within one hour, as many as 25 % of heart attacks in the making can be aborted. This procedure is called “fibrinolysis”.

Dr. Paul Armstrong, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, explains, that the aborted heart attack (or “aborted MI”) is a new term in cardiology. If treatment is received early, the patient will avoid heart muscle damage. Even if the treatment with the anti-clotting medication is given after only two hours, the patients still have a more favorable outcome. Patients with aborted heart attacks also have smaller infarcts than those who go on to have a full-blown MI (or heart attack). Dr. Armstrong points out that it is important to not only watch out for known high-risk factors (previous coronary artery bypass surgery, hypertension and diabetes), but also to pay close attention to treating the patient early.

Stop That Heart Attack

Stop That Heart Attack

More info on heart attacks: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/heart-disease/heart-attack-myocardial-infarction-or-mi/

Reference: The Medical Post, July 27,2004, Vol.40, No. 29,pg.8

Last edited October 26, 2014

May
01
2003

Early SARS Treatment In Hong Kong Reduces Death Rate Dramatically

By | Infectious Disease, Lung Disease

Dr. Loletta Kit-Ying So from the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Hongkong reported on May 10, 2003 in the medical journal The Lancet (Lancet 2003;361:1615-1617) about their experience with early SARS treatment. Key to the success of this group is early recognition and early treatment of SARS. They found that high doses of corticosteroids to control the inflammatory reaction of the airways coupled with the antiviral antibiotic ribavirin has meant a breakthrough in the treatment of SARS. They have treated 50 patients with the new combination protocol.

Medication protocol:

Initially the patient is started on the fluoroquinolone antibiotic levofloxacine 500 mg once per day. This has an immunomodulating effect and keeps the virus at bay. Methylprednisolone at 1 mg per kg of body weight given three times per day is the corticosteroid used for 5 days, the gradually tapered to nothing over 16 days. The virus itself is treated with the antiviral drug ribavirin 400mg three times daily intravenously for three days or until the patient becomes stable, followed by tablets (1200mg twice per day) by mouth.

Outcome:

The good news with this protocol is that 70% of patients have left the hospital and are recovered; 27% are treated and are stable; three patients are mechanically ventilated (on a respirator), but stable. One patient who was an elderly diabetic patient has died of a heart attack.

Early SARS Treatment In Hong Kong Reduces Death Rate Dramatically

Early SARS Treatment In Hong Kong Reduces Death Rate Dramatically

There are no major side-effects of the treatment protocol. Some modifications are made with patients who have tuberculosis and with patients who are pregnant.

Here is an overview of SARS with links to the CDC.

Last edited October 26, 2014