Health Care Trends With a Social Media Twist

In Response to the New York Times and Rosie O'Donnell: Chew Aspirin.

Rosie O’Donnell described her heart attack on blog, saying she felt an ache in her chest and soreness in her arms, followed by nausea and a “clammy” feeling. She took an aspirin and decided against calling 911. The next day she went to a hospital, where she learned one of her coronary arteries was 99 percent blocked, requiring a stent.

As the daughter of a heart attack survivor, who chewed two aspirin after calling 911, this is a pain point worth reflection. At 45, my dad’s arteries were 100 percent clogged. He died on the table in the ambulance. Technically. Then the defibulators came out, and he was zapped back to the life. The rest was deemed a medical miracle. And all because of an aspirin.

Anahad O’Conner examined aspirin’s effectiveness during a heart attack in a recent Well Blog post, “Really? During a Heart Attack, Dial 911 and Chew an Aspirin,” concluding that if you experience symptoms of a heart attack, dial 911 first, then chew on an aspirin.

Some people may suspect that chewing an aspirin makes little difference. But a study in The American Journal of Cardiology highlighted its importance. In a group of 12 subjects tested in a laboratory, chewing an aspirin tablet for 30 seconds before swallowing on an empty stomach prompted a 50 percent reduction in platelet activity in five minutes. It took 12 minutes to achieve the same effect when the aspirin was swallowed whole, Mr. O’Conner referenced.

So, please, for your daughter’s sake, call 911 and chew aspirin.