Dads Heart Attack- should Gp have investigated heart further?

[Galaxygirl93]

My dear father had a Coronary Thrombosis major heart attack and passed away one saturday evening in October.

What I cannot get passed is that he went to his GP on the Thursday due to shoulder pain, and was sent to the hospital for an xray on the Friday to check if the shoulder pain was muscular.

He was scheduled to have blood tests on the following Wednesday, but sadly did not make this.

I am struggling to accept whether or not the GP should have acted with a bit more urgency?? My Dad was only 61, he did have high blood pressure/cholesterol but was otherwise healthy and fit. I'm thinking maybe should he of been sent to hospital that day for heart investigations? Or is it normal course of action when there's no other previous history of heart problems.

I know its not going to make a difference but would welcome opinions to maybe help put my mind at ease..

I would request a discussion with the practice manager and the GP if you have concerns.

Have a very firm idea of what your specific concerns are, and what outcome you are trying to achieve. For some people that might be suing for as much money as possible, just trying to discover what happened, or just knowing that the doctor involved has realised that they have missed something, have reflected on why and how, and are less likely to do so again in future.

Bear in mind, that if the shoulder pain and subsequent heart attack are related events, the GP is probably in the throws of professional anguish as well - it's one of the worst feelings you ever have as a doctor - realising or finding out that there's something you may have overlooked, or dismissed as too unlikely.

We don't know what blood tests were ordered, it may just have been a cholesterol check, an xray would not show any muscular problem. I think the best thing might be to talk to your own gp as you will just be running yourself into the ground wondering what happened, could it have been avoided, what tests were ordered, what your dear dad said to his gp and see what advice they can offer, they may suggest a meeting with dads gp. I can fully understand why you are asking all these questions but only his gp knows the answers, you need to look after yourself.

It will not have been blood tests for a heart attack. They are done with the ecg, and look for an enzyme called Troponin, which is excreted from damaged muscle (in v high numbers with damaged cardiac muscle).

Most heart attacks DO NOT present with crushing chest pain, have a look on the BHF patient forum and see the descriptions of heart attacks, very few hit that criteria. The only way to truly tell is a 12-lead ecg and a trop check. I appeared very not unwell at all with my heart attack - wasn’t grey or clammy, not in heaps of pain, nice BP….the paramedic decided to do the 12-lead as a last resort, he was so convinced there was nothing wrong.

The weird sensation I had in my throat and under my bottom teeth in the 4 days before certainly didn’t send me to the GP, and I doubt any GP would jump straight to cardiac (I’d know that bloody feeling now, though!)

Thanks @Bunnyfuller .

From talking to my Mum, the blood tests were just routine blood tests as my Dad was due them anyway (apparently older people get yearly blood tests) so it wasn't a follow up re heart concerns.

So it seems to be the GP followed up with the xray to check for muscular reasons and did not consider his heart, maybe due to the medication he was already on or due to his symptoms only being his shoulder which is a real shame.

Of course I realise that not everyone with shoulder pain is then going to have a heart attack and it just seems to be real bad luck in this case, that it was my Dad's only initial symptom with no other pain.

My initial symptom was on and off feeling like my glands were up! There’s no way me or anyone else could ascribe that to cardiac. I was also on tablets for BP and had high cholesterol. It’s unfortunately shockingly subtle until it isn’t xxxx

@Bunnyfuller yes shocking is definitely the word I was use to describe it!

My dad was the type of man I always thought would live until old old age, he was (on the surface) so fit and healthy.... it really goes to show life is precious.

Really sorry about your poor dad. You're not in South Wales by any chance are you? X

@Shiningstarr thanks, yes we are.... why? x

Sorry I wrote that reply before I read the rest of the thread. I thought you were going to say you weee let down by the hospital, but it was more the GO wasn't it?

We are in South Wales and our local a&e / hospital is shocking.

@Galaxygirl93 GP not GO

@Shiningstarr let me guess, are you talking about The Grange?

I recently had an ECG at GP (England) results sent to local hospital, took 3 working days to them back, bloods done 4 days after ECG as that was the earliest appoint for a nurse to do them.

Everything was all clear but it took about 10 days start to finish.

It took my mum 7 months to see a cardiac specialist (England)

I don't think the NHS is brilliant anywhere.

Yes. GUH. Shocking hospital that opened too early and didn't have enough staff: still struggling now.

@Shiningstarr yes, the ambulance sent to my Dad was from The Grange, apparently within minutes of the event. He really didn't have much of a chance overall then!!!

I'm so sorry 😢 Your poor dad. I worry about my parents needing urgent care should the time come. I've told my mum if anything happens to dad to call me straight away and I'll take him to Southmead. Much better hospital.

Sorry for your loss @Galaxygirl93 .

@Shiningstarr yes I've had other relatives have heart attacks and paramedics from Southmead treat them, and they survived.

Not all heart attacks lead to cardiac arrest. Less than 10% of out of hospital cardiac arrests are survivable, regardless of where the paramedics are from. It must be so difficult to accept, but there isn’t anyone to blame, OP. Horrific hitting you all out of the blue, and it seems so unfair, but please don’t torture yourselves. There was nothing anyone could have done, even if they’d started looking for a cardiac cause - unless it’s an emergency even the rapid access angina clinic is 2 weeks, and they don’t move straight to angiogram on the first appointment.

The scary thing, there will be so many of us wandering around without a clue, and it just suddenly happens.

It must be so difficult to accept, but there isn’t anyone to blame, OP. Horrific hitting you all out of the blue, and it seems so unfair, but please don’t torture yourselves. There was nothing anyone could have done, even if they’d started looking for a cardiac cause

Wise words from @Bunnyfuller 🌹

thanks @Bunnyfuller , I know I will eventually accept this and move on.

BUT basically, even if my Dad had a heart related check on Thursday at the GP either ECG or Troponin Test (or whatever) he would have still had to wait for further treatment (and not rushed to A+E) which would have most likely been the week/weeks after.

It's only me torturing myself. Luckily none of my family are :-)

I feel your pain. My DM was in a care home, GP was called to see her on the Tuesday, she had a temperature and shortness of breath. He prescribed antibiotics but 3 days later she had a stroke and died 2 days later, she was 75. This was in 2006 and it took me a long time to come to terms with her seeing a doctor and having a fatal stroke, but I have. My 62 year old DH had chest pains, we called an ambulance who carried out tests and ECG which was perfectly normal. They said he could ring GP to get blood tests done or go with them to A&E. luckily he did as on the way to hospital which is about 15 minutes away, he had a mild heart attack and needed a triple heart bypass. He had had blood tests 2 weeks before this which were fine. I am sorry to you and your family for your loss.

Op I am so sorry. My mum died suddenly in similar circumstances, just before Christmas last year.

She went to the doctor as she was feel breathless on a Thursday and was diagnosed with asthma and given an inhaler to take when every she felt breathless and return 2 weeks later to see how she was getting on.

Exactly a week later, she was getting better and was a bit worse so she called the Gp.The doctor asked her to come up that afternoon. She went upstairs for a shower and collapsed, the paramedics got to her while she was awake but she then passed out and never came round and died in her bedroom.

i tortured myself over it. Why did they get it wrong, what did she say etc. I think dad raised it with them, no idea if it was through PALS or how he did it. And yes, it turned out what she had told them really didn’t describe the situation at all. She told them it worse round dogs (it wasn’t) and said it wasn’t as bad as it was.

Honestly, knowing didn’t make it better. I am pretty angry she played it down. Even though, knowing her, it was through fear of there being actually something wrong.

Its just shit. Wondering why it was missed was shit. Knowing she played it down is shit. Her being there and such an integral part my of mine and my kids life, then just not is shit.

I can ask my dad who he spoke to and what he did, to find out exactly what happened if you want. It may make you feel better. It just didn’t for me.

I am so so sorry for your loss. It’s so difficult. I wish you and your family well.

Hi all. Sorry to return. :-) I am becoming slightly more....accepting shall we say about what has happened although still painful. I completely get that the shoulder pain could have been unrelated.

Just a quick question, my Dad had been taking Zapain for his shoulder which apparently was helping... does Zapain even have any effect if it was early signs of Angina?? I suppose what my thinking is, if it was just muscular/joint pain, and Zapain was helping (but does not have effect on Angina pain) then it must have indeed been muscular if you see what I mean......

I hope this will be my last question. :-)