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Stent Used After Heart Attack. Fell Down And Noticed Pain And Swelling In Chest. Should I Be Concerned?

Posted on Thu, 25 Oct 2012

Question: My husband is 50 years old and he had a heart attack in 2007. They did put in a stint. Today at work he fell and hit his right chest just to the inside of his nipple on a wooden steak that was sticking out of the ground and now he has some swelling where he got hit and a bruse. One his way home from work he felt sick to his stomach and threw up. He said he thinks he Is ok and he is laying down but I think he should get checked out. What would you recommend to watch for that would mean we should take him to the doctor?
XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Aparna Kohli (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX,
Thank you for sharing your concerns with us.
I would agree that your husband needs to have a basic evaluation so that we dont miss any injuries.
Till then, these are the things that you should be watching out for:
a. Difficulty in breathing
b. Severe chest pain
c. Any kind of discharge (fluid oozing out) from the wound: this could be blood, foul smelling discharge . This could indicate an infection
A physical exam, a tetanus shot ( if he hasn't received one off late) and a chest Xray is what is required.
Meanwhile, warm compresses at the wound site and Tablet Tylenol 1 tablet as and when required (upto 4 tablets daily) can help ease the pain
Hope that helps
regards

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar