FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 19, 2019 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 43
wellness
‘Tis the season for heart disease?
Deaths from heart-related
causes tend to spike over the
holidays. According to a recent
study, the risk of heart attack
increases signifi cantly around
Christmas time, and may be
highest on Christmas Eve.
Recognizing the symptoms of
heart disease - and taking time
from the busy season to see a
doctor - could help to save your
life, just as it did for Zbigniew
“Ziggy” Banach.
Banach is a 46-year-old husband
and father of two teenage
boys, living in Woodstock, Ill.
Last November, Banach began
feeling chest congestion and
shortness of breath. On Dec. 17,
2018, he fi nally visited the emergency
room, where he learned
he had suff ered a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when
blocked arteries cut off the supply
of blood to the heart.
Banach had four stents placed
in his arteries to restore blood
fl ow. Th e heart attack had
caused signifi cant damage to
Banach’s heart. As a result, Dr.
Hetal Gandhi of the Advocate
Heart Institute in Crystal Lake,
Ill., was concerned that Banach
was at risk of dying from sudden
cardiac arrest (SCA).
Some people confuse SCA
with a heart attack, but they are
very diff erent. A heart attack
victim is likely to feel severe
chest pain or other symptoms,
just like Banach did. Th ey usually
remain awake and can call for
help. Unlike a heart attack, SCA
has no warning signs, and is
likely to leave the victim unconscious
and unable to call for
help. SCA occurs when a failure
of the heart’s electrical system
triggers a dangerously fast
heartbeat, causing the heart
to quiver or shake instead of
pumping blood to the body and
brain. Th e most eff ective treatment
for SCA is an electrical
shock (defi brillation). Without
treatment, death from SCA can
occur within minutes.
For protection from SCA,
Gandhi prescribed Banach with
the LifeVest wearable defi brillator.
“Major heart attacks weaken
heart muscles and put
patients at a higher risk of sudden
cardiac arrest,” explained
Gandhi. “Especially in the fi rst
40 to 90 days of recovery, certain
patients may need devices
that can respond to and protect
them from sudden cardiac
arrest. Th is gives us time
to determine a more permanent
solution and allows the
heart muscles to regain strength
aft er a heart attack. Wearable
defi brillators can provide protection
and restore a normal
heart beat even if a patient is
alone or asleep.”
LifeVest consists of a garment,
an electrode belt and a monitor.
LifeVest is designed to continuously
monitor a patient’s heart,
detect life-threatening rapid
heart rhythms, and automatically
deliver a treatment shock
to restore normal heart rhythm
and save a patient’s life. With
only fi ve days until Christmas,
Banach left the hospital wearing
LifeVest under his clothes day
and night, only taking it off for
a short shower.
Just three days later, while
asleep in his home, Banach suffered
SCA. Within one minute,
LifeVest delivered a treatment
shock that saved his life. When
he awoke the next morning,
Banach saw Blue Gel deployed
by LifeVest during treatment
and realized what happened.
His wife drove him to the hospital,
where he received two more
life-saving treatments from
LifeVest. On Christmas Eve,
Banach received an implantable
defi brillator (ICD) for longterm
protection.
His family visited him in
the hospital to spend the holiday
together. Banach tries
not to imagine how diff erent a
Christmas it could have been.
“I don’t know what would happen
if I didn’t have the LifeVest,”
said Banach. “I’m grateful I had
it and happy to be alive.”
Researchers suggest delays in
seeking medical treatment may
contribute to heightened risk of
heart-related death around the
holidays. A person experiencing
the symptoms of a heart attack
should seek medical treatment
right away. According to the
American Heart Association,
heart attack symptoms can
range from slow and mild to
sudden and intense, including
discomfort in the chest, arms,
back, neck, jaw or stomach,
shortness of breath, nausea and
sweating.
If you or a loved one has experienced
a recent heart attack,
talk to your cardiologist about
SCA and the treatment options
available for those at risk.
— BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
