S2E6 // WHERE ARE ALL THE HEART ATTACKS?
Non-COVID patients are skipping the emergency room, but they shouldn’t
Across the U.S. and across the world, more people are avoiding hospital emergency rooms. Patients are fearful – and so are some physicians – of catching COVID-19. New York, Boston and Detroit are among the metropolitan areas reporting a sharp upturn in deaths at home.
Angioplasty.org – an online community of cardiologists – estimates the number of people dying of heart attacks at home in New York has increased a staggering 800 percent compared to last year.
Dr. Cindy Grines is the chief scientific officer of the Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute. The calamity of preventable at-home cardiac deaths spurred her to co-author a scientific statement, or expert opinion, on how physicians and emergency departments can safely handle cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the medical term for heart attack.
Grines is the incoming president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and she spoke with host Marlon Manuel about the new recommendations.
Further Learning
- Learn more about cardiovascular disease or schedule treatment
- Read the scientific statement