FEATURE: DEVELOPING YOUR VOLUNTEERS
Facts, Fear and Faith
By Samuel A. Kojoglanian, MD, FACC
Anne is a 77-year old female in whom we
successfully placed two coronary artery stents.
One week prior to seeing me, she was sent home
from a hospital with the diagnosis of anxiety.
Her symptoms were so classic for heart disease
that I immediately consented her for a cardiac
catheterization. My patient wanted facts about
the procedure. I explained 1) Benefits include
studying the coronary arteries, opening them
with stents if needed, and relieving her of severe
chest and jaw pain; 2) Risks include bleeding,
stroke, heart attack, and death; 3) Alternatives
include treating her with medications. For
Anne, these facts led to fear. “Death? Did you
say death, Dr. Sam?” she asked. “There is a
slight chance, less than 1%, Anne, mostly in
the critically ill patient,” I reassured her. “Ok,
so, I’ll be alright, right?” “God willing, we’ll find
the culprit, and get you all fixed up!” She was
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relieved and said, “Ok, that calms me down;
thank you, Dr. Sam!”
Facts can lead to fear. But when facts are
delivered in a logical and compassionate
way, they can lead to a calm heart. The 2020
Corona Virus (Covid19; Co = Corona; Vi = Virus;
D = Disease; 19 = 2019 when the virus was
first detected) pandemic has taken us all by
surprise. There are facts, and yet, there is false
information, leading to an enormous surge in
fear, panic, and despair. The facts are that the
virus is highly contagious; it’s transmitted by
aerosol droplets that end up on our hands with
which we inevitably touch our face; it easily gets
into our system once it contacts our eyes, nasal
passages or mouths; it has overwhelmed hot
spots like New York City; it originated in Wuhan,
China and spread throughout the world.