Also I just learned that my cousin that had the stroke is fine due to the miracle drug tPA. A septal wall defect is what is believed to have been the root cause and surgery is scheduled in the next couple of weeks.
But in the same phone call I was told that her father has had a heart attack, was taken to the ED where he was promptly intubated because of his respiratory distress, and taken to the Cath Lab. As of this writing he is still alive and has spontaneous breathing. He is, of course, a co-morbidity nightmare. Previous heart attacks, stents, pacemaker, diabetic, life-long smoker, etc,.
Isn't there a saying that bad things happen in pairs?
