Ischemic Heart Disease

[georgiapapa]

Up until a couple of days ago, I never thought I had any heart problems other than a mitral valve prolapse. Earlier this week I had been to my private primary care doctor for a cough and intermittent chest pain. I had undergone a stress test and an echo of my heart in July by my cardiologist and was told everything looked fine so I did not think my recent chest pains were caused by heart problems. My pcp did a chest x-ray and EKG and said it wasn't my heart and he diagnosed me with pleurisy and bronchitis.

Wednesday night of this week I started experiencing severe chest pains and my wife called 911. I took an ambulance trip to the emergency room. After running some blood tests, I was told my cardiac enzymes were elevated and the cardiologist performed a heart cath. After the heart cath, the cardiologist informed me she had placed two stents in my heart due to a 99% blockage in one part of my LCD and 80% blockage in another part of my LCD. I believe the LCD she was referring to is the left anterior descending artery of my heart. My cardiologist advised that I did not have a heart attack but she said I was on the verge of a serious heart attack prior to placement of the stents. I am currently in the heart unit of my local hospital but I hope to be discharged this morning.

I am totally lost as to what I need to do in regards to a claim for AO related IHD. I am a boots on the ground Vietnam veteran so I think I would qualify under the AO presumptive policy. Any guidance anyone can give as to what is needed and how to proceed at this point in time would be appreciated. Even if I would be rated at 0% service connected (since I did not experience a heart attack), at least this would make benefits available to my wife in the event I later had a fatal heart attack. Your thoughts ans suggestions would be appreciated.

Georgiapapa...

[Berta]

The VA's definition of IHD and the rating criteria for it under 7005 are here:

By all means ,file the AO claim for IHD.

This concerns me:

“I had undergone a stress test and an echo of my heart in July by my cardiologist and was told everything looked fine so I did not think my recent chest pains were caused by heart problems. “

Have you requested a copy of the ECHO results?

“After the heart cath, the cardiologist informed me she had placed two stents in my heart due to a 99% blockage in one part of my LCD and 80% blockage in another part of my LCD. I believe the LCD she was referring to is the left anterior descending artery of my heart.”

I assume this was not the cardio doc who said everything “looked fine” in July.

“My pcp did a chest x-ray and EKG and said it wasn't my heart and he diagnosed me with pleurisy and bronchitis. “

"was told everything looked fine"

A remark like that, by the head VA cardiologist of a NY VAMC, after he had read my husband's ECHO, and I believed what he said, was supported by 2 more years of documented negligent health care regarding my husband's fatal heart disease when I FTCAed the VA for malpractice.

I am not a doctor but after I studied the ECHO and his EKGS and every cardio text I could in 2 or 3 medical libraries on NY (this was pre internet), I knew that his EKGs and ECHO revealed significant heart disease that VA failed to treat.

Wrongful death award 1998, Agent Orange IHD death Jan 2012.

Since the VA,for the IHD claim, will be going over any EKGs, ECHOs, X rays of heart, it would be a good idea for you to obtain your medical records (VA will need them all too) from the VA as well as any private doctors.

Something seems wrong here.

An ECHO can reveal potential blockages as it is a measurement of heart chambers.

Significant blockages do not happen overnight.

I also used a VA Heart X ray that a VA cardio read and said no hypertrophy.

I proved that X ray did reveal significant hypertrophy.

When you get a copy of the Doppler ECHO ,it will reveal the medical state that your heart was in ,this past July.

I am absolutely baffled as to how, if the ECHO in fact revealed no occlusions, why the occlusions occurred so fast that you needed stents by this past Wednesday.

VA will need those private medical records too.

[Berta]

To add, this is the form that many AO IHD vets, with private cardio care, gave to their doctors to fill out and then was submitted to VA in support of their claims.

http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960A-1-ARE.pdf

[stillhere]

GP&Berta,

I wish I had a dime for every time I hear or read bout a patient having a good ekg and then later to have had either a heart attack or as in GP's case emergency stents placed. The EKG's do not show squat from what I think!

The patient knows his/her body better than anyone if you don't feel good and you are a "boots on ground" vet I would go and get a cath or at least and echo. A good cardio doc can usually catch it on a echo if not and they see something a cath for sure. It is always better to have these things looked BEFORE having to rush to an ER and have it done!

I had the chest pains over an entire weekend and did not go till Monday to my PC and ended up in ER and a couple of stents my first time, but by not going sooner I actually had 2 heart attacks and damaged my heart by 40%!

Case in point over the 2 years leading up to that weekend I had been to PC and VA and ER over 5-6 times and everyone kept giving me a EKG and blood work nothing showed. But I know my body and my chest pain was real! They gave a feeling that there was nothing wrong but indigestion and I tried to believe them??

Guess next time I will believe my body!

By the way I am 100% now for my heart and have trouble even walking up stairs and really can't do many of the things I loved to do, working around the house and gardening. Oh well I am stillhere!

[georgiapapa]

Berta,

I have been going to this cardiologist for over twenty years for mitral valve prolapse and hypertension. Over that period of time, my cardiologist has performed different tests on me including stress test on a treadmill with IV, stress test sitting with IV, echo of heart, ECG, doppler procedures, chest x-rays, etc. The IVs used during the stress tests included some type of nuclear medicine. I have never been told I had a problem with blocked arteries prior to this week.

I am going to ask for copies of all of my medical records at my cardiologist's office for as far back as they are available.

The notification I received from the cardiologist's office regarding the results of my July cardio tests actually came from my cardiologist's PA via telephone. I had an appointment previously scheduled with my cardiologist for September 20, 2012 during which she was going to go over my July test results as well as the results of a Doppler procedure of my legs I had in August.

I am waiting for my cardiologist to come and discharge me. I will ask why the previous cardio tests from July did not reveal the blockages. I will let you know what she tells me.

Georgiapapa...

[georgiapapa]

Still here,

Believe me I have learned my lesson. In the future I will seek emergency attention anytime I start having the chest pains.

As I stated in my original message, I did have a cath this week which revealed my blockages. I don't think I will ever trust an ECG or an echo in the future. The cath seems to be the most reliable test to detect blockages based on what I have been told so far.

Thanks for your input.

Georgiapapa...

[jbasser]

You are correct. Stress tests and echos are only guess work.

Heart cath is the measure for heart disease.

Your Heart disease is related to AO presumptively and you will have little resistance from VA.

J