ER doctor has heart attack while treating patient with same

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The Timmins and District Hospital is reminding the public that February is Heart Month, a time to think about reducing the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease – the second leading cause of death in Canada for people aged 45 to 64, according to a 2023 report from Statistics Canada.

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Hospital emergency room physician Dr. Chris Loreto credits an experience with a patient with helping him finally face what was happening with his own heart.

Last summer Dr. Loreto began experiencing chest pain, a burning fire going up his throat and into his teeth and ears when he was out for a run.

He would scream, often in front of the same house, to work through the pain.

“Angina has recurring symptoms. That is when the heart is not getting enough blood and oxygen during periods of demand. It is similar to the burning you feel when you are working out hard,” Loreto said.

“When the demand stops the symptoms resolve. That is what I was experiencing in July of 2024 and likely before that.”

He told his family doctor he believed he had acid reflux, but neglected to mention the pain was hitting him during exercise.

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As summer turned to fall, Loreto found the acid reflux medications his doctor prescribed weren’t helping.

On the night of Nov. 12 while playing hockey, the pain came but this time it stayed, lingering in his shoulders. Shrugging it off, he went for a run the next morning and then went to work, but the pain persisted throughout the day.

Near the end of his shift, a patient had a massive heart attack and Dr. Loreto jumped in to help.

Afterwards, he spoke to the patient’s wife to learn more about his symptoms leading up to this event. Both he and the patient were on the same medication for acid reflux.

“His story was my story,” Dr. Loreto said.

At that moment he turned to his colleagues, sharing some of his symptoms.

After some choice words involving the word “stupid,” they convinced him to let them run some tests – bloodwork and an electrocardiogram to check his heartbeat – which confirmed he was having a heart attack.

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“A heart attack is a blockage of the artery causing symptoms – it can happen during an anginal episode or out of the blue. The pain is usually worse and the symptoms do not resolve with rest but get worse throughout the day,” he said, adding that a heart attack does not always appear as a cardiac arrest.

His denial of the seriousness of his situation extended to asking his colleagues to leave him on the roster for that weekend, which they ignored.

After being treated in Timmins, Dr. Loreto and his patient were both transferred to Health Sciences North in Sudbury, the cardiac referral centre for the region, where they ended up across the hall from each other. That’s where the wife of his patient came to visit him.

“She said: ‘Thank you for saving my husband’s life,’” remembers Dr. Loreto. “I said ‘No, thank-you for saving my life.’”

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Now three months later, Dr. Loreto is still off on medical leave.

He’s started cardiac rehab after being transferred from Sudbury to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto for more procedures that involved drilling into his arteries to add stents.

His dad, also a runner, had a heart attack at 59. Dr. Loreto is one year older.

“That’s the power of genetics,” he said.

His active lifestyle, with running and hockey, has helped to strengthen his heart, but Loreto admits he should have gone to his family doctor last summer, when the pain continued to persist during exercise.

Like many people dedicated to caring for others, Loreto,  who has worked at The Timmins and District Hospital for three decades and has been head of the emergency department, is not great at taking his own health needs seriously.

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“We’re wonderful at taking care of others and stink at taking care of ourselves,” he said.

“Working as a doctor there is always something more important that needs to be done to help a patient. There’s a feeling of being irreplaceable and, also, bullet proof,” he said.

Now, forced to slow down, he’s spent some time rethinking this mindset.

Dr. Loreto, urges patients to “do what I say, and not what I do.”

If symptoms are continuing, take them seriously.

“Don’t self-diagnose, don’t Google. I know ER is busy, but if the symptoms are concerning get them checked. All you’re wasting is time,” Loreto said.

For now, Loreto is focusing on regaining his health through cardiac rehab sessions in Timmins.

Heart Disease Quick Facts:

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• Heart and Stroke.ca offers many resources.

• Symptoms of a heart attack can include: chest discomfort (pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain, burning or heaviness) upper body discomfort (neck jaw, shoulder, arms, back), shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and light headedness.

• Women can experience a heart attack without chest pressure. They may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue.

• Prevent by knowing your risk: Nine in ten Canadians have at least one risk factor. Almost 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy behaviours. That means that habits like eating healthy, being active, reducing stress, and living smoke free, have a big impact on your health.

• There are also risk factors you can’t control such as age, sex, family history, personal circumstances and heritage.

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