Nawaz in danger of fatal heart attack if not treated

ISLAMABAD: Thallium scan of Nawaz Sharif indicates that former prime minister is prone to a fatal heart attack if treatment is not done immediately, according to a top cardiologist.

 "The report suggests that some parts of former premier’s heart are facing blockage which are hampering the supply of oxygenated blood that can cause a heart attack anytime if not treated properly," said a Rawalpindi-based prominent cardiologist who requested anonymity as he is presently in government service.

The Thallium scan (Myocardial Perfusion Scan) report, a copy of which is available with The News, reveals that the former premier has a significant cardiac disease and lateral and inferolateral part of his heart is having perfusion defects which means the blood supply to this part of the heart is being hampered which can cause a heart attack at any time if not managed adequately.

“Moderate partially reversible perfusion defect involving lateral and inferolateral walls may be suggestive of significant CAD”, reads the conclusive part of the Thallium scan of Nawaz Sharif. According to cardiac experts, the Thallium report of Mian Nawaz Sharif suggests that some parts of former premier’s heart are facing blockage which are hampering the supply of oxygenated blood that can cause a heart attack anytime if not treated properly.

The government constituted five medical boards to examine the former prime minister at different times and almost all the boards have recommended that the patient has a history of cardiac disease and he needs continuous expert cardiac care in a facility where 24 hours cardiology intervention and multidisciplinary backup is available.

The medical board of services hospital recommended for shifting him to any institution where all the facilities related to cardiac kidney disease are available under one roof. The board also recommended that if in the opinion of expert cardiologists it is considered necessary then the previous cardiac history and present investigation may be further discussed with his primary treating cardiologist/cardiac surgeon. However, family sources and personal physician of Nawaz Sharif claim that despite such an alarming report the government constituted medical boards have only diagnosed and performed tests. The former premier has never been given any treatment, they said.

However, the provincial government of Punjab has fully rejected this position and insist that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is alright. The provincial ministers have shared the medical reports of the former prime minister many a times on media and claimed that everything pertaining to his health is normal.

Punjab Government’s spokesperson Dr Shehbaz Gill while talking to The News said he has just contacted the Inspector General Prison and discussed about Mian Nawaz Sharif’s health after the tweets of Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

“The Inspector General Prison has informed me that Mian Nawaz Sharif is absolutely alright and he has no illness. The jail doctors regularly visit him and they have reported no such thing which indicate any emergency situation”, commented Dr Gill. When this scribe asked about the Thallium scan report, Dr Gill hung up the phone and despite repeated calls he did not attend the call.

A Rawalpindi-based top cardiologist who requested not to mention his name while talking to The News said he had visited the former premier when he was in Adiala Jail and PIMS Islamabad. There is no doubt about that he has a history of cardiac disease.

“Beside cardiac disease, the former prime minister was also suffering in kidney disease which needed proper treatment and care. There is always a risk of heart attack to a heart patient whether he is in prison or anywhere else. But if someone is in prison then one must be vigilant that if the patient suffers a heart attack then he should be immediately shifted to hospital without a delay”, commented the top cardiologist.

He said it would be better if the government provides him treatment and perform angioplasty before shifting him to the prison. Based on the medical board’s report one can confirm that he has heart issues which needed to be taken care of properly.

Dr Adnan Khan —personal physician of Nawaz Sharif for the last twenty years while talking The News said that he was consistently requesting the authorities for provision of detailed reports and imaging of thallium test. “It is right of the family of the patient to obtain these reports but for no reasons the reports are not being provided,” Dr Adnan informed The News.

He said the government did not provide them the Thallium scan’s report rather they obtained it from the court. The Thallium report of the former premier suggest that he has a significant cardiac disease which is alarming.

Dr Adnan also confirmed that echocardiogram of Nawaz Sharif, which was not entirely normal but was reasonably good, was provided to him after repeated requests and was also instantly issued to media was not the full story. He said that abnormal report of thallium scan conducted by the PIC was not provided to the family despite repeated requests and for no reasons. Dr Adnan said that there is no logic behind not sharing these detailed investigation reports with the family of the patient by the hospital administration.

He said that nothing can be crueler than the statements claiming that Nawaz Sharif health was good by sharing a relatively normal report and by hiding the actual report reflecting abnormal condition.

High profile medical board of AMC/Jinnah Hospital also recommended that Nawaz Sharif will benefit from hospitalisation. It was recommended that ideally he should be hospitalised and managed and an optimum controlled blood pressure should be achieved.

Dr Adnan said that the uncontrolled blood pressure in the given circumstances is medically termed as “uncontrolled hypertension” and can be dangerous for a diabetic and a heart patient.

Dr Adnan rejected some news items which suggested that Nawaz Sharif himself refused to be hospitalised. It was reported that during last Thursday meetings with his family, Nawaz Sharif has said that he was offered to be admitted in the hospital but he refused. “I was present during all such Thursday meeting and Nawaz Sharif never said this,” Dr Adnan said adding “Nawaz Sharif knows that he is unwell and needs hospitalization. Same is also recommended by the medical board still those in power are refusing to give him his legitimate right.”

He informed that during yesterday (Tuesday) meeting along with Maryam Nawaz, the former premier informed him that he has suffered angina pain for at least four times during last one week.

“The moment when we were meeting Mian Nawaz Sharif, he once again complained about angina pain. I recommended and provided him a sublingual spray which is used by spraying under the tongue when needed. This pain indicates that he is suffering from blockage of blood which needed to be taken care of immediately. This could cause a heart attack if not treated properly”, commented Dr Adnan.

He said that last time when he was facing imprisonment in Adyala Jail, similar situation was emerged and was ended up in an acute cardiac event which led to his hospitalisation in PIMS. “I don’t want the repetition of history as it can be dangerous”, Dr Adnan said. He said that Nawaz Sharif is insulin dependent, almost 70, and this is the reason that he was consistently facing health problems.

When a high-profile board of Allama Iqbal Medical College (AMC)/Jinnah Hospital visited former Prime Minister in Kot Lakhpat Jail, his BP was 200/110 mm Hg, a condition which according to doctors could be fatal for a diabetic and heart patient like Nawaz Sharif, he said.

He said all the five medical boards constituted by the government have performed his tests and scans but no one has provided him the required treatment. The former premier needs treatment, not the tests, he commented.

It is pertinent to mention here that Maryam Nawaz soon after meeting his father on Tuesday while expressing her concerns about the health of former prime minister on Twitter said, “MNS’s doctor & I met him at Kotlakhpat jail today. During the meeting he had an episode of angina & asked for his nitrate spray. It was then that he divulged that he has had similar attacks 4 times in last week. He reiterated that he will neither report nor complain”.