This is a follow-up to previous discussion on Tim Russert’s heart attack.
Additional medical facts are emerging:
He also had a dangerous combination of other risk factors: high triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, and a low level of HDL, the “good cholesterol” that can help the body get rid of the bad cholesterol that can damage arteries . . .. . . In 1998, Mr. Russert had a calcium score of 210 on a CT scan of the coronary arteries, a test that indicates blockages . . .
A calcium score of 210 would be classified as “moderate” coronary disease. There are calls that given Russert’s other significant risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, obesity), an angiogram should have been ordered.
Retrospectively, it’s easy to say that he should have had one.
I still would be interested to see what kind of stress test he had a few months ago. If it was done with imaging, then I would say Russert’s doctors did all they could for him.
Related posts:
- My take: Tim Russert
- Russert syndrome
- Topol on Russert
- Getting around pre-authorizations
- Why doctors should reconsider ordering a CRP to screen patients for heart disease
- The mirage of HDL cholesterol
- Summarizing the Russert case
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It is my understanding he had a Thallium Stress Test in April of this year.
Tim Russert and George Carlin
Two beloved American celebrities have succumbed to heart disease before their time. The national response has been disappointment in a medical system that could allow this to happen. What could have been done differently to save the lives of both Tim and George, to avoid this fatal outcome?
To read more…Saving Tim Russert and George Carlin by Jeffrey Dach MD
Jeffrey Dach MD
4700 Sheridan Suite T
Hollywood FL 33021
my web site
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