Heart attack victim calls lack of cardiac cath lab in Red Deer ‘ludicrous’

With his wife terrified and sitting in the front seat, Smith was rushed by ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.

“Two years ago to the day, we lost our best friend from across the street under similar circumstances. She didn’t make it to Edmonton,” he recalls. “My heart stopped twice and they got it going again. It was sheer pain. I can remember the paramedic saying to me, ‘Between one and 10, what’s your pain level?’ and I kept saying 10.”

Smith was ultimately put into a medically-induced coma, eventually waking up attached to a plethora of tubes. Soon after, he was transferred back to hospital in Red Deer where he remained until Feb. 25.

Smith, who also experienced an angina attack five years ago, says as harrowing and scary as his past week was, he can’t thank the staff that treated him enough.

“They were superb,” he says. “These young doctors, nurses and paramedics; I think we must have some of the best in the world here, I really do. I owe my life to them.”

But at the end of the day, Smith says much of his experience was unnecessary.

“I would say to the government to get off their butts. It seems they’re looking just at the budget and not at peoples’ lives. We need this lab and everybody knows we need it. We serve one heck of a big area, about 500,000 border to border, and to put anybody through this, it’s just ludicrous.”

Dr. Kym Jim with the Society for Fair and Transparent Care in Central Alberta says it’s very courageous for patients like Smith to come forward with their stories.

“What’s evident in Mr. Smith’s case is that there are a number of issues that would’ve been made better, particularly those of having to travel and getting care away from Red Deer, if cardiac catheterization was available in Red Deer.”

The society will be holding a news conference at 10:30 on Tuesday, March 5 in the Palermo Room at the Sheraton Hotel.

Two weeks ago Health Minister Sarah Hoffman and Premier Rachel Notley went on the record stating that a new cath lab and expansion of Red Deer Regional would happen if their NDP Government is re-elected this spring.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Heart attack victim calls lack of cardiac cath lab in Red Deer ‘ludicrous’

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