I refused a simple checkup and died suddenly the next day... I can't skip this checkup after I turn 30

Reviewer of this article: Chen Sijiao, Chief Physician and Professor of Geriatric Cardiology, First Hospital of China Medical University

There are many joys and sorrows in the hospital, especially in the emergency department and ICU.

Li Hongzheng, a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, shared a case in 2020, which vividly reminds us: When you are sick and seek medical treatment, you must listen to the doctor, and everyone should master some health knowledge, which is beneficial to us and our families.

He refused a simple inspection.

He died suddenly the next day...

Li Hongzheng introduced that one day a 40-year-old middle-aged man came to the emergency department and said he had back pain and kidney stones, and asked the doctor to prescribe some painkillers.

After the doctor's examination, he recommended doing a B-ultrasound of the urinary tract and abdomen first, and checking the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, etc., and also had a blood test.

The patient disagreed, saying that he often had lower back pain, which was always caused by a kidney stone attack.

The emergency doctor examined the patient again and found that the percussion pain on both sides of the patient's lower back was not obvious, which did not seem to be the typical low back pain caused by kidney stones or ureteral stones. He still recommended an ultrasound and an electrocardiogram.

The middle-aged man got angry when he heard this and shouted, "Can't you prescribe medicine without an examination? What level are the doctors these days!"

This shouting completely changed the situation, because after the loud shouting, the patient began to have shortness of breath, pale face, panic, and was rushed to the emergency room, connected to the ECG monitor, and an electrocardiogram was performed. The pattern of extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction was observed. The patient was eventually sent to the catheterization room through the green channel and finally recovered smoothly (the blood vessels were blocked).

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The most common diseases causing low back pain are lumbar muscle strain, lumbar disc herniation, kidney stones, ureteral stones, etc., but it may also be other diseases, such as the myocardial infarction mentioned above.

If this patient had yelled at home, increasing the burden on his heart and causing symptoms of myocardial infarction, it might have been too late. As luck would have it, he lost his temper in the emergency department of the hospital.

This patient was lucky, but last year there was a patient who refused an electrocardiogram and insisted on taking medicine home. Unexpectedly, he died suddenly the next day... Later (the doctor) considered that the patient either had a myocardial infarction or aortic dissection. But it was useless to say more, the patient was already dead. ①

I hope this case can serve as a warning to others.

Electrocardiogram is the most effective

One of the tests for heart disease

Nowadays, cardiovascular problems are becoming more and more common among younger people. Many young people in their 30s have cardiovascular diseases that only occur in their 50s.

Under normal circumstances, blood vessels are elastic, but as we age, some lipids will deposit on the blood vessel walls, causing the blood vessels to narrow or become blocked. Once there is a problem with the blood vessels, it will lead to atherosclerosis or thrombosis, which will cause a series of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, etc., which are life-threatening.

But there are so many ways to check for cardiovascular disease, which one should I start with?

That's the electrocardiogram! Since the electrocardiogram can reflect cardiovascular problems most directly and quickly, you will find that no matter how basic the physical examination package is, there will be an electrocardiogram test.

If the heart is compared to a house, the electrocardiogram mainly checks whether the circuit of the house is normal. If there is a short circuit or voltage problem, it can be found immediately. At the same time, it can also reflect other problems. For example, if there is a problem with the wall of the house, it may affect the circuit buried inside. Therefore, an electrocardiogram can reflect the condition of various aspects of the heart.

Li Zhongjian, chief physician of the electrocardiogram department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, introduced that more than a hundred years ago, electrocardiograms were used to check heart diseases. At that time, it was a "high-end and in-demand" item. Now, with the advancement of science and technology and the development of medicine, electrocardiograms have become "commonplace", as if they can only monitor heart problems preliminarily. In fact, electrocardiograms can reveal many health problems, and they can be called the "Sherlock Holmes" of the body. From premature heart beats to atrial fibrillation, to myocardial infarction, electrocardiograms can check everything. In clinical practice, electrocardiograms are often used to monitor patients for premature beats, rapid atrial fibrillation, and even myocardial infarction. Often an electrocardiogram can show that the patient has acute inferior wall myocardial infarction. In this case, the patient needs to be hospitalized in time to avoid danger and save his life. ②

Why do many doctors ask you to do an electrocardiogram first when you go to the hospital because you feel unwell? Dr. Li Zhongjian explained that the heart is the headquarters of the human body. It affects all functions of the body and also reflects all conditions of the body. The electrocardiogram captures the electrical signals of the human heart through electrodes placed on the skin, which can truly reflect the excitement, conduction and recovery process of the heart's myocardial cells. Therefore, it is qualified to be the "Sherlock Holmes" who monitors our bodies. ②

Doctors remind: After 30 years old

This inspection must not be omitted

These unfortunate cases tell us that myocardial infarction is a very cunning disease. It does not always present with typical precordial squeezing pain. It may simply be chest tightness, syncope, cough, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, back pain, toothache, etc., which are not easily associated with myocardial infarction. If the doctor does not do an electrocardiogram, it is impossible to detect myocardial infarction in time.

Unless the typical symptoms of myocardial infarction occur or cardiogenic shock occurs, the diagnosis will be much easier at that time, but the opportunity may be lost.

Therefore, the electrocardiogram test has been listed as a routine examination by many hospitals and doctors.

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Li Hongzheng, a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, reminds that anyone over 30 years old who has any physical discomfort can go to the hospital for an electrocardiogram, especially pain in the entire body from the teeth to the perineum, which may be myocardial infarction and is routinely required to undergo an electrocardiogram.

Electrocardiogram is inexpensive and easy to operate. It takes only a few minutes to get the results. It is harmless to the human body and does not cause radiation. I hope patients will not resist this examination. Even in the middle of winter, when you are shivering with cold, do not despise the trouble of electrocardiogram. You must do the necessary examination. ①

The electrocardiogram is a very good examination. The emergency doctor even joked that even if the patient does not want to eat, he still has to do an electrocardiogram on the patient, and only then will he feel at ease to eat if the electrocardiogram shows nothing wrong.

Doctors don’t have a keen eye, they can’t see through the body, and they can’t always find problems in time. Thanks to auxiliary examinations such as electrocardiograms, patients’ problems can be found in time, which can save lives at critical moments!

This article is compiled from:

①2020-12-23 Listen to Dr. Li's story "The patient had back pain and died suddenly the next day. The doctor said: This could have saved his life" (Li Hongzheng)

②2016-04-22 Health Times "ECG is also Sherlock Holmes" (Li Zhongjian)

Source: Health Times

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