Treadmill Terror: The Shocking Moment a 12-Minute Workout Turned into a Heart-Stopping Nightmare
No special signs, but chest pain, shortness of breath, and vomiting during treadmill exercise
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The story of a 30-year-old American woman (right, center) who almost died of a heart attack after running on a treadmill for about 12 minutes has been revealed. [사진=게티이미지뱅크(왼쪽) / 미국 매체 피플 보도 갈무리]
The story of a 30-year-old American woman who almost died of a heart attack while running on a treadmill has been revealed.
According to recent American media outlets such as People and Fox News, Justin Carter (33), who lives in Utah, suffered a heart attack about 12 minutes after running on a treadmill at home in May. She suddenly felt pain in her back and chest, and it became difficult to breathe. Justin, who started vomiting along with difficulty breathing, called her husband and then lost her memory. She explained, “I don’t remember anything after calling my husband. I just woke up in the hospital.”
Her husband, Kevin Carter, heard the sound of vomiting on the phone and heard his 4-year-old son say, “Mommy suddenly fell asleep.” Feeling something was wrong, the husband and mother-in-law went home and found Justin collapsed in the bathroom.
Justin’s mother-in-law, who saw him in cardiac arrest, quickly performed CPR. Thanks to CPR that lasted about 25 minutes until the paramedics arrived, Justin’s heart was able to beat again and he was safely transported to the hospital. Kevin explained, “When I got home, my wife was lying on the bathroom floor. Fortunately, my mother was a nurse, so she quickly performed CPR.”
At the hospital, Justin was diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which means a coronary artery in his heart had torn, causing a heart attack. Justin received emergency treatment, including repair of the torn blood vessel.
Justin has now recovered enough to walk his dog, but he has difficulty doing high-heart rate exercise such as hiking or running. “I didn’t have any special symptoms on the day of the incident, but I felt weaker than usual,” Justin said. “I thought it was because of the weather or my condition was not good.” He added, “I survived thanks to CPR,” and “If you want to save someone you love, you should know how to do CPR.”
A torn coronary artery wall… can slow coronary flow and put a strain on the heart muscle
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which Justin experienced, is a condition in which the inner wall of the coronary artery tears, causing the heart to stop and possibly even die. The coronary arteries surround the heart from where the aorta begins and supply blood to the heart. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection slows the flow of the coronary arteries, preventing the heart muscle from receiving enough blood, causing chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
In this state, if the amount of activity increases, such as running on a treadmill like Justin, the amount of blood required by the heart increases. At this time, in people whose coronary arteries are not flowing smoothly or are blocked, the blood supply is not adequate, so the heart muscle reacts excessively, and the burden increases. As a result, the body sends signals such as chest tightness and cold sweat.
The cause is not clearly known… You should eat unsaturated fatty acids, fruits, and vegetables often and make exercise a part of your daily life.
The exact cause of spontaneous coronary artery dissection is unknown, but it may be caused by arterial malformation, hormonal changes, or inflammation. Patients need to be more careful about cardiac arrest because recurrence is frequent even if treated with medication or surgery.
It is also important to establish lifestyle habits to avoid arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, etc., which are known to block coronary arteries. Eat mackerel, salmon, olive oil, etc., which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, and practice eating bland foods. Reduce the frequency of meat consumption, but eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. It is good to continue aerobic exercise such as walking and swimming, strength training, and stretching.
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