Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, two of the most prevalent health conditions that physicians and ER staff struggled with nearly daily were heart attacks and strokes.
Although dealing with the Coronavirus is the focal point of today’s healthcare industry, these two cardiovascular conditions still remain as severe and will continue to do so long after this pandemic is over. In the midst of growing panic and a greater level of awareness over the need for proper medical care, however, there’s another crisis that has become more prevalent today:
People have been avoiding the ER when they start to experience heart attack and stroke symptoms.
As a result of the current COVID-19 outbreak, people have fostered a specific level of apprehension towards going to the ER, out of the fear of catching the virus. This mindset still prevails even if they experience an alarming shortness of breath, chest pain, or other cardiovascular symptoms. Sure, it may seem like a no-brainer to go to the ER right away if severe signs show up. However, today’s patients are experiencing a regression, pointing to the all-important lesson that no one should avoid the ER if they have a heart attack or stroke.
What the numbers are saying
In the American healthcare industry, it is disputed by few that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States to the point that it has led to a certain level of predictability in rates as the obesity problem grows out of control.
Within the past few months, the reported number of heart attack cases has taken quite a tumble as fewer patients are coming in every month, given the current crisis. This has led healthcare professionals to worry about patients not getting the necessary care they need. This phenomenon has been met with surprise to the point that more hospital managers and doctors have begun to ask where all the heart attack patients have gone.
Here’s what national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Darria Long Gillespie, had to say about the current situation: “You hear doctors saying, ‘Where are all the heart attacks?’ It’s concerning to us. We can only imagine that there are people still having these medical problems and not seeking care.”
Given that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established that a new heart attack case happens every 40 seconds, it’s safe to say that the current situation is definitely a cause for alarm.
According to Dr. Abdulla Kudrath, who currently works as an emergency physician at Angleton ER, the number of heart attack patients in his own hospital has dropped by almost half ever since the start of the pandemic. Kudrath also emphasized that “Some things can be prevented and controlled, but any time delayed on a stroke or heart attack can be costly to someone’s health.”
Conclusion
With more people in the U.S. seeing hospitals as a hotbed for the virus and being further restricted by their grave fear of it, the American healthcare system has another crisis on its hands that needs to be dealt with right away. In spite of growing fears, however, it is vital for hospitals to disseminate that heart attack and stroke care systems can still be availed of and that any potential symptoms must be tended to right away.
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