ASHLAND — The physicians and nurses working in Ashland’s newest emergency department have noticed a trend in its patients: a rise in the number of people suffering from heart and vascular ailments.
But the discovery doesn’t stop there.
Of those patients, many of them are “riding out their heart attacks,” said OhioHealth officials.
“There’s a definite trend there,” said Dr. Garrett Norvell, OhioHealth Ashland Health Center’s emergency department medical director.
Since opening its doors in January, Norvell said OhioHealth Ashland Health Center, freestanding emergency room along U.S. 250, has treated more than double the amount of patients with heart and vascular problems between both Ashland and Ontario sites.
OhioHealth Ontario, a similar facility to Ashland’s, has more data, which stretches back four years. So Norvell combined Ashland and Ontario numbers to get a more accurate picture.
He said two years ago, the number of patients with heart and vascular problems treated in Ontario were around 40 a month. Now, the Ashland and Ontario sites see a combined 90 patients a month — what Norvell called “profound” and “impressive.”
Chest pain is one of those things that should be looked at right away, Norvell said.
“With any type of chest pain, patients should come to the emergency department for evaluation — right away, rather than waiting it out to see their primary care or their cardiologist in a clinic,” Norvell said.
Dr. Gay Wehrli, UH Samaritan’s chief medical officer, said she isn’t aware of patients delaying care but stressed that doing so — for any ailment — is not advisable.
“Whether it is in our ambulatory clinics or in our hospital in terms of the emergency department or for surgeries — whether they’re elective or emergent surgeries — we are fully open. So we do not want patients to delay anything. We want them to come,” Wehrli said.
UH Samaritan Medical Center, located on Center Street, canceled elective surgeries at the height of the pandemic. The hospital reintroduced them several months ago, said Kathy Witmer, a UH Samaritan spokeswoman.
Delaying care could introduce a plethora of symptoms, Wehlri said. With heart attacks or strokes in particular, the symptoms could include shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, pain or even death, the doctor said.
OhioHealth’s patient mix in Ashland includes more Amish and pediatric patients than in Ontario’s facility. Vascular patients’ age ranges over 70 years, said Christina Thompson, an OhioHealth spokeswoman.
But Norvell said the local trend of delaying care is part of a larger picture. The doctor said the region is part of a national swing.
A study published on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in September points out the problem.
The study says 41% of U.S. adults had delayed or avoided medical care — including urgent or emergency care — by June 30, 2020 in fear of contracting COVID-19.
“Avoidance of urgent or emergency care was more prevalent among unpaid caregivers for adults, persons with underlying medical conditions, Black adults, Hispanic adults, young adults and persons with disabilities,” the study’s authors wrote.
The people who avoided immediate care the most were those with disabilities and those with two or more underlying conditions, according to the study.
The study’s authors said telehealth, consulting a doctor over the telephone or through online video chats, could help allay fears of receiving care.
Both facilities in Ashland offer telehealth services.
At OhioHealth, the Stroke Network and eICU were up and running for some time before COVID-19. Other virtual visits with primary care and specialty providers became expedited when the pandemic started.
But Norvell said don’t put off getting emergency treatment if chest discomfort spreads into the neck, jaw, shoulder or back.
“Also, if there’s a new shortness of breath, especially when walking around and it goes away when you sit. There are also other vague signs of a heart attack, like nausea and sweating,” he said.
