President of AHA has Heart Attack

[BlueGene]

ANAHEIM -- The president of the American Heart Association, John Warner, MD, 52, had a "mild heart attack" on Monday morning, according to the AHA. Warner received a stent at an undisclosed hospital. The AHA said he is "doing well."

The attack occurred during the AHA's annual scientific sessions meeting here. The first indication of problems occurred early today when the AHA announced that Warner would not be available to moderate a press briefing on new hypertension guidelines.

Warner, an interventional cardiologist, has been the CEO of UT Southwestern Hospital in Dallas since 2012. Warner has an MD from Vanderbilt University and a MBA from the University of Tennessee. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at UT Southwestern and his cardiology fellowship at Duke University.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aha/69255

[Vegankit]

The irony, especially the timing of it during a convention.

[pundit999]

I did some online search on his career and what he believes in. Does not look like he believes that a whole food plant based diet can prevent and reverse heart disease.

He has a very bad family history of heart disease, I think on both sides.
He mentions that he was stricken by the absence of old men when he celebrated the birth of his child. All old men had been dead of heart disease.

I hope he sees the light and starts following what Dr McDougall or Dr Esselstyn professes. An earlier president of the American College of Cardiology (Dr. Kim Williams) did start following this diet a decade ago. May be this head of AHA will do the same and we'll get more people on it as time goes on.

I sure wish him the wisdom to follow the right path, for his family. He is only 53!

[gracezw]

Pundit, thanks for your research. That is very good for me to know.

I am curious. He is reported to have “a mild heart attack.” Do we know whether he was a stable patient or an unstable one? I am studying the difference between the two groups. A stable patient can improve with McD’s diet; stenting may be unnecessary. An unstable patient may need stenting.

[mountain]

Now where did I read that it isn't an "inherited" disease but an inherited lifestyle and way of eating. I hope for him and his whole family that he starts our way of eating and heals himself and has a long, influential life left. He is still so young!!!

[vgpedlr]

An MD *and* an MBA.

Tells the story in five characters.

[pundit999]

I am curious. He is reported to have “a mild heart attack.” Do we know whether he was a stable patient or an unstable one? I am studying the difference between the two groups. A stable patient can improve with McD’s diet; stenting may be unnecessary. An unstable patient may need stenting.

gracezw: He had a heat attack so by definition he was not stable. Stable patients are not having a heart attck. They just have pain in their chest or other symptoms when exerting.

Stenting is totally justified during heart attacks. The doctor opens up the blocked artery and saves the heart muscle from dying. An absolute life saver.

I don't know but by a mild heart attack they probably mean that it was non STEMI (An ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a serious form of heart attack in which a coronary artery is completely blocked and a large part of the heart muscle is unable to receive blood. “ST segment elevation” refers to a pattern that shows up on an electrocardiogram (EKG).)

I think NSTEMI heart attack are serious also though may not lead to death. I believe a lot of heart muscle may still die if an NSTEMI is not treated quickly.

And if you had an NSTEMI, you are likely at a very high risk of the dreadful kind, the STEMI.

He was very lucky. I hope he knows he got a new life and makes changes in his diet. He must realize that the state of the art in cardiology is not going to save him.

I lost a good friend of mine and my family doctor to a STEMI a few months back. At the age of 48! What a great loss and unneeded. He was witness to my progress on this diet, but just had too much faith in the medical establishment. I hope Dr Warner realizes his mistakes and takes advantage of the chance he has been given. Many don't get that.

[Drew_ab]

Would it be out of line if we emailed him some publications by Dr. Ornish and Dr. Essylstyn? My heart goes out to him either way as I do not wish ill health on anyone.

[gracezw]

Thank you Pundit! So it looks to me to be this:
MI=being unstable= an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction + Non-STEMI/mild heart attack
Being Stable=chest pain or other symptoms when exerting
Thank you for sharing your family doctor’s loss to a STEMI at the age of 48. A great doctor died too young!
I know that your hope Dr. Warner well. But he is such a mainstream figure that I doubt that he would change in our direction.

[QubitBob]

The irony, especially the timing of it during a convention.

I'll say--this is like an electrician grabbing a hot wire.

I sincerely hope this gentleman recovers fully and that he adopts a WFPB diet to heal his heart and help others avoid following in his footsteps!

[f1jim]

Why do the words "Physician heal thyself" suddenly come to life?
He. like all of us, has a choice. We can't begin to understand the pressures he will face within his medical community.
I hope is is up to the task of standing up to them.
f1jim

[Poison Ivy]

If you have a poor family history, you had better change your diet in order to try to avoid the same fate as those who have gone before you. The Texas great hart surgeon Denton Cooley is reported to have eaten 5 eggs per day for breakfast each morning and he lived to be 96 years old with no major complications from CAD.

His rival, the great Michael E. DeBakey lived to be 99 and worked 20 hours a day, slept very little, ate little, and was pretty healthy right up until the end of life.

Go figure!

[SonjaK]

If you have a poor family history, you had better change your diet in order to try to avoid the same fate as those who have gone before you. The Texas great hart surgeon Denton Cooley is reported to have eaten 5 eggs per day for breakfast each morning and he lived to be 96 years old with no major complications from CAD.

His rival, the great Michael E. DeBakey lived to be 99 and worked 20 hours a day, slept very little, ate little, and was pretty healthy right up until the end of life.

Go figure!

But don't think good family history will save you either. My mom's parents lived to 94 and 103. She ate organic, free-range meat/eggs, etc. (Weston Price follower), avoided the microwave, no processed food, all whole foods, etc. and died of colon cancer way too young. She should have had another 30 years.

[bbq]

Maybe they just "upgraded" a little something to "Physicians Kill Thyself While Killing Others" IMHO:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-doctors-make-the-grade/

[BlueGene]

If you have a poor family history, you had better change your diet in order to try to avoid the same fate as those who have gone before you. The Texas great hart surgeon Denton Cooley is reported to have eaten 5 eggs per day for breakfast each morning and he lived to be 96 years old with no major complications from CAD.

His rival, the great Michael E. DeBakey lived to be 99 and worked 20 hours a day, slept very little, ate little, and was pretty healthy right up until the end of life.

Go figure!

I agree. Bill Clinton ate crap and ended up with heart disease. Someone posted coronary calcium scores of Hillary and Trump somewhere here before. Hillary had a score of zero while Trump had a positive score (don't remember the number). I would think Bill and Hillary ate similarly but maybe not. Obama had a score of zero despite being a smoker.

People like to blame genetics but it's in the wrong direction if you ask me. My brother-in-law has had two heart attacks and a stroke. He's 59. He blames genetics because his father had a heart attack though at a much later age. He thinks he's doomed no matter what he does. I gave up.

Genetics doesn't mean you're doomed. It means you have to do MORE to keep CVD at bay. Some people can get away with a lot of crap and live into their 90s. Some can't.