Dick Clark: Could He Have Been Saved

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Millions around the world were saddened to learn of Dick Clark's death on Wednesday, but renowned cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall believes that the TV host's fatal heart attack might have been averted if he had undergone appropriate cardiac screening before an outpatient procedure the day before his death.

"Dick Clark was the perfect candidate for a massive heart attack, but he might not have had it if he had been properly screened," Dr. Crandall tells Newsmax Health. Such screening might have ruled out the procedure, or indicated other precautions that needed to be taken, he added.

According to Dr. Crandall, the 82-year-old had numerous risk factors that put him in danger of suffering a heart attack under such circumstances, including his advanced age, a history of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, past smoking, and the major stroke he suffered in 2004.

Clark was admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., for an outpatient procedure Tuesday night. Only hours later he suffered a massive heart attack, and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, according to a statement from his publicist.

Dr. Crandall, author of the Heart Health Report, says he has seen this sad scenario many times before.

"Any type of surgery, no matter what it is, creates a great deal of stress on the body and creates a whole host of inflammatory coagulation factors, making a patient more prone to a cardiac event," said Dr. Crandall, who is chief of the cardiac transplant program at the world-renowned Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Because Clark was undergoing an elective procedure, there was ample time for a battery of screening tests to be performed and their results reviewed before going ahead with the outpatient procedure, he noted.

According to Dr. Crandall, a patient in Clark's condition should have undergone the following screening tests and procedures:

1. A consultation with his internist or family doctor and cardiologist to review the elective procedure.

2. A second opinion to make certain the procedure is necessary.

3. An exercise stress test to test the heart's ability to withstand the stress of surgery.

4. A blood test to check for elevated cholesterol levels, as well as clotting disorders or inflammatory markers that would make a heart attack more likely.

5. An echocardiogram to access the heart's function.

"The bottom line that we can learn is that anytime you have elective surgery, you need to be properly evaluated to find out if you have underlying coronary disease and if your heart can withstand it," said Dr. Crandall.