There will be many joys and sorrows in the hospital, especially in the emergency department and ICU. Li Hongzheng, a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, shared a case on his WeChat official

There will be many joys and sorrows in the hospital, especially in the emergency department and ICU.

Li Hongzheng, a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, shared a case on his WeChat official account "Listen to Dr. Li" in 2020, which vividly reminds us: when you are sick and seek medical treatment, you must listen to the doctor, and everyone We all need to master some health knowledge, it will be beneficial to us personally and our families!

He refused a simple examination and died suddenly the next day...

Li Hongzheng said that one day a 40-year-old middle-aged man came to the emergency department, saying he had low back pain and that he had kidney stones, and asked the doctor to prescribe Take some painkillers.

After the doctor has completed the examination, he recommends doing a B-ultrasound of the urinary tract, an abdominal B-ultrasound, checking the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, etc., and also taking blood tests.

The patient disagreed and said that he often had low back pain, which was always caused by kidney stone attacks.

The emergency doctor examined the patient again and found that the percussion pain in the patient's bilateral lower back was not obvious. It was not like the typical low back pain caused by kidney stones or ureteral stones. It was still recommended to do a B-ultrasound and an electrocardiogram at the same time.

Photo by Jin Peng

The middle-aged man became angry when he heard this, and shouted directly, "Can't we prescribe medicine without examination? What kind of level are these doctors now!"

This shouting completely changed the situation, because shouting loudly After that, the patient began to have shortness of breath, pale face, and palpitations. He was quickly sent to the emergency room, connected to ECG monitoring , and an electrocardiogram was performed. At first glance, it was a pattern of extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction . The patient was eventually sent to the cath lab through the green channel and eventually recovered smoothly (the blood vessel was blocked).

The most common diseases of low back pain are lumbar muscle strain, lumbar disc herniation, kidney stones, ureteral stones, etc., but it may also be other diseases, such as myocardial infarction mentioned above.

If the patient roars at home, which increases the burden on the heart and develops symptoms of myocardial infarction, it may be too late. Coincidentally, he got angry in the emergency department of the hospital.

This patient was lucky, but last year there was a patient who refused an electrocardiogram and insisted on taking medicine home. Unexpectedly, he died suddenly the next day... Later (the doctor) considered that the patient had either myocardial infarction or myocardial infarction. It is aortic dissection . But there is no point in talking too much. The person is already gone. ①

I hope this case can give some warning to others.

Electrocardiogram is one of the most effective tests for detecting heart disease

Nowadays, cardiovascular problems are getting younger and younger, and many young people in their 30s have cardiovascular diseases that only appear in their 50s.

Under normal circumstances, blood vessels are elastic, but as we age, some lipids will be deposited on the blood vessel walls, causing the blood vessels to narrow or become blocked. Once there is a problem with the blood vessels, it will lead to atherosclerosis or the formation of thrombus , which will lead to coronary heart disease , myocardial infarction, arrhythmia ... and a series of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases that are life-threatening.

But there are so many testing methods for cardiovascular disease, which one should you start with?

That’s an electrocardiogram! Since electrocardiogram can reflect cardiovascular problems most directly and quickly, you will find that no matter how basic the physical examination package is, there will be an electrocardiogram examination.

If the heart is compared to a house, the electrocardiogram mainly checks whether the circuit of the house is normal. If there is a short circuit or voltage problem, it can be detected immediately. It can also reflect other problems. For example, if there is a problem with the walls of the house, it may affect the circuits buried inside. Therefore, an electrocardiogram can reflect all aspects of the heart.

Li Zhongjian, chief physician of the Electrocardiogram Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, published an article in Health Times in 2016. He said that more than a hundred years ago, electrocardiogram was used to check for heart disease. At that time, it was a "high-end and in short supply"; Nowadays, with the advancement of science and technology and the development of medicine, electrocardiogram has become "common" and it seems that it can only initially monitor heart problems. In fact, the electrocardiogram can reveal many health problems. It can be called the "Sherlock Holmes" of the body. From premature cardiac beats to atrial fibrillation , and then to myocardial infarction, electrocardiogram can detect them all. Clinically, electrocardiogram is commonly used to monitor premature beats , rapid atrial fibrillation and even myocardial infarction. Often an electrocardiogram can reveal the patient's acute inferior wall myocardial infarction . In this case, the patient needs to be hospitalized in time to avoid danger and save his life . ②

Why do many doctors ask you to do an electrocardiogram first when you feel uncomfortable going to the hospital? Dr. Li Zhongjian explained that because the heart is the headquarters of the human body, it affects various functions of the body and also feeds back various conditions of the body. The electrocardiogram captures the electrical signals of the human heart through electrodes placed on the skin, which can truly reflect the activation, conduction and recovery process of the cardiac myocardial cells. Therefore, it qualifies as the "Sherlock Holmes" that monitors our bodies. ②

Photo by Wang Chang

The doctor reminds: You must not skip this check-up after the age of 30!

These unfortunate cases tell us that myocardial infarction is a very cunning disease. It does not always have the typical precordial compression-like pain, but may just be chest tightness, syncope, cough, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. , low back pain, toothache, etc. are symptoms that you will not easily associate with myocardial infarction. If the doctor does not do an electrocardiogram, it is impossible to detect myocardial infarction in time.

Unless you wait until the typical symptoms of myocardial infarction occur, or cardiogenic shock occurs, the diagnosis will be much easier at that time, but the opportunity may be lost.

Therefore, the electrocardiogram test has been listed as a routine test by many hospitals and doctors.

Li Hongzheng, a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, reminded that as long as you are over 30 years old and have any physical discomfort, you can come to the hospital for an electrocardiogram, especially pain in the entire body from the teeth to the perineum. , it may be myocardial infarction, and electrocardiogram is routinely required. ①

Electrocardiogram is high quality and low in price, easy to operate, and results can be obtained in a few minutes. It does no harm to the human body and has no radiation. I hope patients will not resist this examination. Even if it's winter and you're shivering with cold, don't despise the trouble of having an electrocardiogram. The necessary examinations must be done using . ①

An electrocardiogram is a very good test. The emergency department doctor even jokingly said that even if the patient does not eat, he must do an electrocardiogram on the patient first. After the electrocardiogram is done, he can go to eat with confidence.

A doctor does not have a sharp eye. He cannot see through the body and cannot always detect problems in time. Thanks to auxiliary examinations such as electrocardiograms, problems can be discovered in time, which can save lives at critical moments!

This article is synthesized from:
① 2020-12-23 I heard Dr. Li say "The patient had low back pain and died suddenly the next day. Doctor: It could have saved his life" (Li Hongzheng)
② 2016-04-22 Health Times "The electrocardiogram is also Sherlock Holmes" (Li Zhongjian)

Editor: Lu Yang
Reviewer: Yang Xiaoming