At the age of 23, most young people think they’re invincible.
However, a polytechnic student literally got the shock of her life when she suddenly suffered heart failure after previously having had no heart problems.
This resulted in her fighting for her life in hospital.
Source: Yau Mei Fun via NUHCS
Thankfully, she survived after doctors spent 10 days rescuing her from the brink of death.
Ms Kang Zi Ying was 23 years old when she suffered sudden chest pain, dizziness and vomiting on 21 Apr.
This was preceded by a low-grade fever for a few days, she told Shin Min Daily News.
As she was usually quite healthy, this prompted her to seek treatment at the Emergency Department.
The Republic Polytechnic student was immediately warded.
Source: Yau Mei Fun via NUHCS
Unexpectedly, her condition rapidly deteriorated within 24 hours of hospital admission, and her heart almost stopped beating at one point.
Ms Kang was found to be suffering from cardiogenic shock, the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) said in a Facebook post.
That means her heart couldn’t pump enough blood for her body’s needs. This causes blood pressure to drop rapidly and may lead to organ failure and death if not treated in time.
At that point, only 10% of her heart was left functioning, NUHCS said.
Assistant Professor Lin Weiqin, Senior Consultant in the Department of Cardiology at NUHCS, said there was “a very high risk” that her heart would stop functioning.
Image courtesy of NUHCS
Thus, immediate life-saving intervention was needed.
The NUHCS team worked for nearly 10 days to rescue Ms Kang.
They’re the only public healthcare centre in Singapore with a multidisciplinary cardiogenic shock team that’s trained in supporting patients with the ‘ECPELLA’ treatment strategy.
Using the treatment, they were able to use a life support device that took over her heart and lung functions.
They also used another device to support the left side of her heart, ensuring proper blood circulation in her body.
Ms Kang, who was in a coma throughout, told Shin Min that she didn’t remember anything about the treatment.
She only remembered feeling unwell after an operation and then passed out. It was as if she had been dreaming, she said.
Image courtesy of NUHCS
While in a coma, her family and friends were by her side, taking turns to chat with her.
Her mother, Yau Mei Fun, a pawn shop appraiser, said it was heartbreaking to see so many tubes inserted into her daughter.
However, she believed in the medical team and was positive that the girl would be able to get through this, the 49-year-old said.
12 days after the surgery, Ms Kang finally woke from her coma.
Initially, she thought she had been asleep for only a few days, and she realised it was much more than that after being told the date.
Eventually, she was discharged from the hospital after 22 days.
Image courtesy of NUHCS
However, she’s still not fully back to normal and has to take medication and go for regular check-ups.
That’s because her heart is working at only 30% capacity.
At least she managed to live to celebrate her 24th birthday in June.
Before the ordeal, Ms Kang had never had any heart problems.
She told 8world News that what happened was scary as it was so sudden and mysterious, as she was a “normal person” before.
Prof Lin explained that cardiogenic shock in people below 40 is usually due to acute myocarditis, i.e., heart inflammation.
However, it can also be caused by viral infections like Covid-19 and colds that affect the body’s immune system.
He advised people to go for regular check-ups even when they’re young, so any symptoms or underlying conditions can be found before it’s too late.
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Featured image courtesy of NUHCS.
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