As an emergency medicine doctor at Mayo Clinic, Venkatesh Bellamkonda, M.D., frequently sees people who come in with chest pain — often hesitantly or only because their loved ones have urged them to do so.
Dr. Bellamkonda once examined a man in his 80s who was on a fishing trip when he started to have chest pain and a fast heartbeat. When the man arrived at the emergency department, the care team quickly discovered that his heart was racing at 160 beats a minute. It turned out he was experiencing an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, which was causing a type of heart injury.
“When we addressed his rhythm problem, his chest pain went away,” says Dr. Bellamkonda. “The emergency medicine team was able to work with the cardiology group to get him back out fishing within about 14 hours.”
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