Chest Pain Mistaken for Acid Reflux Leads to 7 Stents in 2 Years, healthnews.com.tw says

A 63-year-old patient with a history of ulcers and gastric acid reflux experienced recurrent chest tightness that was initially mistaken for a digestive issue before being diagnosed as a myocardial infarction involving three blocked blood vessels, healthnews.com.tw reported. Over a two-year period, the patient received a total of seven cardiac stents following recurring blockages, according to healthnews.com.tw.

Chest Tightness Misdiagnosed as Gastric Reflux Leads to Multiple Stents

The patient, surnamed Wei, reported being a non-smoker who abstained from alcohol, but had long managed gastric ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease stemming from work stress while operating a factory in his youth, healthnews.com.tw noted. Because he frequently experienced the burning sensation commonly known as heartburn, he assumed his symptoms were strictly gastrointestinal and typically responded to medication, healthnews.com.tw reported. Two years ago, however, an episode of chest tightness failed to resolve with medication and steadily worsened, prompting a referral from a gastroenterologist to a cardiology department, where doctors discovered three nearly blocked cardiovascular vessels and performed emergency catheterization to place three stents, healthnews.com.tw stated.

Just over a year later, chest tightness returned despite dietary modifications aimed at keeping meals light, according to healthnews.com.tw. Follow-up examinations revealed further cardiovascular blockage requiring four additional stents, bringing the two-year total to seven, healthnews.com.tw reported.

Rapid Cardiovascular Blockage Rates Prompt Alternative Therapy Evaluation

Seeking to improve his health and physical stamina, Wei researched various treatment options independently and elected to undergo Enhanced External Counterpulsation alongside increased exercise routines, according to healthnews.com.tw.

Explaining the mechanism of the procedure, Wang stated that during external counterpulsation therapy, patients lie on a treatment bed while therapists wrap inflatable cuffs around the calves, thighs, and buttocks alongside electrocardiogram leads, healthnews.com.tw reported. A computer coordinates the cuffs according to the cardiac cycle to apply external pressure to the lower limbs, which increases coronary perfusion pressure and blood flow to help supply oxygen-deprived heart muscle, healthnews.com.tw noted. The non-invasive treatment promotes blood return from the lower extremities and has received approval from both the United States Food and Drug Administration and Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare for ischemic conditions, healthnews.com.tw stated.

Clinical Warning Issued Over Atypical Cardiac Symptoms in Reflux Patients

Wang cautioned that individuals with a medical history of gastroesophageal reflux disease should not automatically attribute every instance of chest tightness to stomach trouble, healthnews.com.tw reported. When symptoms differ from past episodes, fail to improve with standard medication, or continue to escalate, patients should seek prompt medical evaluation to rule out cardiovascular disease and other underlying causes, healthnews.com.tw advised.

A 68-year-old male experiencing cardiac arrest from a heart attack survived after 137 minutes of resuscitation, according to healthnews.com.tw.