HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Throughout the pandemic it has become clear that certain medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus.
Now doctors are seeing situations where COVID-19 may actually create serious medical issues in people with no past history of health problems.
Although Larry Van Düsseldorp had some family history of heart disease, the 51-year-old was always fit and active, and never exhibited any issues.
“In fact, earlier last year, I did a scan and stress test on my heard and found no blockages at all,” he said.
Eight months after that stress test in March of 2020, Van Düsseldorp was diagnosed with COVID-19.
He fully recovered at home by the end of of October 2020 but while out jogging in late November of that year he suddenly didn’t feel right.
“Thank goodness for my Apple watch I clicked on it and it said irregular heartbeat’ and my heart rate was going from like 185 down to 82 or 83 and back up to 150 so I knew something was very wrong at that point,” he said.
Van Düsseldorp’s wife rushed him to Memorial Regional Hospital where doctors believed his COVID infection led to a potentially deadly blood clot.
“We do know that COVID, the little data we’re seeing now, is that there’s some dysfunction in the lining of the blood vessels called endothelium, which can increase the risk of having blood clots. So because the patient was otherwise healthy, we suspect his clot was probably induced from his COVID,” said Dr. Eric Rosen, Chief of Cardiac Services at Memorial Regional Hospital.
Van Düsseldorp was immediately taken to the hospital’s cath lab to repair the damage to his heart.
“One we figured out the anatomy, knew where the blockage was, we were able to put a wire through that catheter, down into the artery and put a balloon and stent in to open up the artery and, in essence, restore normal flow to the arteries in the heart,” said Rosen.
Van Düsseldorp now urges other not to let their fear of the virus keep them from getting life saving emergency care.
“I’m so glad that I didn’t wait, that I immediately went to the hospital and got it checked out right away. Thankfully I’m feeling better than I was a couple of months ago,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is actively working to learn more about a range of short and long term health effects associated with COVID-19, including damage to the heart.