When Elana Malgas, 43, of Randburg, Gauteng, started experiencing ongoing pain in her shoulder she brushed it aside as tension from the long hours spent working at her laptop every day. It later turned out the pain was indicative of a pending heart attack, known as an anterior stemi and popularly called the “widow-maker” as it occurs in the largest coronary artery responsible for blood supply and mainly attacks men.
In her case Malgas was lucky to be rushed to hospital on time. By the time When her heart stopped she was already admitted at Netcare Olivedale Hospital where a team of doctors performed an angiogram using a new technique that gains access to the affected artery through a special wire inserted via a wrist with X-ray imagery guiding the process.
“I work in a high pressured corporate environment and for many months I had been taking strain, performing two roles due to ongoing staffing shortages as well as trying to finish my Bachelor of commerce degree in finance. I was continuously doing 12-hour work days. As a woman in the corporate world, I did not want to fail so I kept pushing beyond my limits, as it turned out,” she said.
Needing to spend quality time with family, Malgas took a road trip for a special lunch at Hartbeespoort Dam in early May, but during the drive the mother of two and banking professional began to feel nauseous. By the time she got to her destination she was too ill to sit at the table, opting to lie down in the car in the hope her illness would soon pass.
“I was vomiting, I had unbearable pain in my shoulder and upper back, and my hair was wet with sweat. I have never been a sickly person but I knew something was very wrong and agreed to my fiancé’s suggestion that we seek medical attention.
“Instead of finding a local GP my fiancé wanted to make the one-hour drive to Netcare Olivedale Hospital so we could be near home. I did not communicate to him the level of pain I was experiencing. It felt like the drive would never end, but it brought me to the right place, and just in time,” she said.
By the time they reached the hospital’s emergency unit, Malgas’ condition had deteriorated so significantly and she was in cardiac arrest.
She considers herself lucky t she got to hospital on time. Moments after she arrived at the hospital her heart stopped and doctors had to resuscitate her.
Dr Adriano Dello Iacono, a cardiologist practising at Netcare Olivedale Hospital who attended to Malgas, said without rapid medical attention the chances of surviving a “widow-maker” are minimal.
Apart from the timely medical attention Malgas received Dello Iacono is convinced the medical technique they performed to open the blockage in her heart has made all the difference.
Through an incision in the wrist a catheter is inserted and once the heart is reached a dye is injected to show up the blood vessels and the blockage.
“We then use another type of wire to get past the area that is blocked, inflating a small balloon that dilates the artery and helps restore blood flow. Once that is achieved, a stent can be inserted to keep the artery from collapsing. In Elana’s case there were too many clots and the blockage would have reoccurred. We therefore administered a strong blood thinner to help clear the pathway overnight and by the next day the repeat angiogram was normal with all clots cleared and no blockage present,” he said.
While many people experience chest pains prior to a heart attack, Dr Gina Karam, a medical doctor at the hospital’s emergency unit, said women often don’t experience chest pains before a heart attack and can “therefore misinterpret the signs until it may be too late”.
“Looking at the results of the ECG it was clear her heart was under enormous stress and had gone into an abnormal rhythm. In this state, it is almost as if the heart is shivering and there is very little blood pumping through.”
Malgas recalled having other symptoms as well, including numbness in her left arm which she attributed to her suspected shoulder tension and heart palpitations, which she read as a sign of anxiety.
Dello Iacono said a healthy diet, active lifestyle and going for regular check-ups are key to avoiding an event like this.
“Incorporating 20 to 30 minutes of walking a day is a good start and can be very protective for your heart.”
Malgas said the experience was a rude awakening to how imbalanced her life had become.
“This experience has totally altered my perspective. I want to share the message that even at a young age, you can literally work yourself to death, and is it worth it? I am back at work and still performing well while completing my studies on the side but at the end of the day, there is more to life than the daily grind. It’s about how you choose to spend your life.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.