Man experiences sudden heart attack in morning
Paul Wapham, 42, who is the CEO of a company named Hockey Wales, was doing his regular morning run when he was suddenly struck by a “massive chest pain”. He runs two to three times every week, however, this time, he instantly knew that this pain wasn’t normal.
Paul told Wales Online, “My chest felt tight and then I was on my hands and knees on the road. Initially, it was a bit tight but then it felt like it was being squeezed, like a vice. The pain was incredible.”
Smartwatch helped save his life
The dad, who lives in Morriston, Swansea, Wales, managed to call his wife on his smart watch. “I managed to use my watch to phone my wife, Laura. Luckily, I was only five minutes away, so she could take me in the car to the hospital. She ran in and called for paramedics, who quickly came and took over,” he added.
Here’s what the doctors found
The doctors found that Paul suffered from a heart attack, triggered by a total blockage in one of his arteries. The dad shared, “It was a bit of a shock as I’m not overweight and I try to keep myself fit so I had no risk factors. It was a shock for everybody really, including my family.”
After being assessed in the emergency department, he was taken to the catheterisation laboratory at the hospital’s Cardiac Centre, where he underwent a procedure to unclog this blocked artery, reported Express UK.
Emergency angioplasty and stent
Paul explained, “They took me down and carried out an emergency angioplasty. They removed the blockage and then I also had to have a stent fitted. I was told I also had pulmonary oedema, where my lungs were filling with fluid. Because it happened early in the morning, staff had to come in from home to do the procedure.” For the unversed, angioplasty is a procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries caused by coronary artery disease. It restores blood flow to the heart muscle without open-heart surgery, explains Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Recovery and healing
The CEO spent the next six days recovering in the coronary unit before being allowed to return home. He will be attending an after-care service at the hospital, as a part of his ongoing rehabilitation.
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