# Heart attack in Spain?



## Minerva.909 (Jul 29, 2012)

Two weeks ago I -quite unexpectedly - suffered a heart attack. In a small costal town in southern Sweden (as an explanation: I am Swedish citizen, but for the last 30 years I have lived in the USA working internationally, last 10 years mostly in the Caribbean and Central America). An ambulance arrived within 7 minutes from the beginning of my call to 112 (I live alone, so I called for help myself) and after an EKG - on doctor's orders -was driven to the nearest - and renowned - university hospital half an hour away, since the local hospital did not have sufficient resources. An angiography and angioplasty followed immediately after my arrival and in the evening I was "repaired" enough to be transferred to a local hospital in my town where I spent next week before being released home.

Had it happened to me in the USA ( I lived in a coastal resort town in soutern Georgia) I would have had to wait at least half an hour for the ambulance (I lived on an island, outside town, prioritizing nature and seaside over health care infrastructure, which i did not think I would ever need in such a hurry), and, if the local hospital did not have necessary staff and equipment I would have to be transfered by a helicopter to a larger hospital which would most lakily have taken the same amount of time as in Sweden. I had (and still have - I moved to Sweden at the end of May this year) a relatively good health insurance in USA, so I would not be denied the best of care... just the hospital, etc. bill would have been at least 50 times the size of the Swedish one.

If my heart attack happened in Belize where I spent last few winters, I probably would not have survived. No hospital in that country with necessary resoures, practically no ambulance heliopters/airicraft to transfer to either Merida in Mexico or Miami in the USA. 

It would have been a tough call in most other places in Caribbean or Central America as well, even in Puerto Rico which is a US territory (don't know about conditions on French islands).

But in Spain? What would have happened? Are there well equipped hospitals? Efficient care? How much could survival depend on WHERE in Spain one chose to live?
Or would it be safer to plan spending winters in southern France (Provance) instead of Spain (I speak some Spanish, but only very rudimentary French)???


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Minerva.909 said:


> Two weeks ago I -quite unexpectedly - suffered a heart attack. In a small costal town in southern Sweden (as an explanation: I am Swedish citizen, but for the last 30 years I have lived in the USA working internationally, last 10 years mostly in the Caribbean and Central America). An ambulance arrived within 7 minutes from the beginning of my call to 112 (I live alone, so I called for help myself) and after an EKG on doctor's orders was driven to the nearest university hospiytal half an hour away, since the local one did not have sufficient resources. An angiography and angiop;asty followed immediately after my arrival and in the evening I was "repaired" enough to be transferred to a local hospital in my town where I spent next week before being released home.
> 
> Had it happened to me in the USA I would have had to wait longer for the ambulance (I lived outside town, prioritizing nature and seaside over health care infrastructure, which i did not think I would ever need in such a hurry), and, if the local hospital did not have necessary staff and equipment I would have to be transfered by a helicopter to a larger hospital which would most lakily have taken the same amount of time as in Sweden. I had (and still have - I moved to Sweden at the end of May this year) a relatively good health insurance in USA, so I would not be denied the best of care... just the hospital, etc. bill would have been about 50 times the size of the Swedish one.
> 
> ...


healthcare is very good to excellent in Spain

there are state-of-the art hospitals - some are world leaders - in fact even our local ambulatorio/walk in clinic can deal with heart attacks - stabilise & then transfer to hospoital

but if you were to choose to live in the middle of nowhere (& there's a lot of Spain like that) you might not get to one of them on time


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Minerva.909 said:


> Two weeks ago I -quite unexpectedly - suffered a heart attack. In a small costal town in southern Sweden (as an explanation: I am Swedish citizen, but for the last 30 years I have lived in the USA working internationally, last 10 years mostly in the Caribbean and Central America). An ambulance arrived within 7 minutes from the beginning of my call to 112 (I live alone, so I called for help myself) and after an EKG - on doctor's orders -was driven to the nearest - and renowned - university hospital half an hour away, since the local hospital did not have sufficient resources. An angiography and angioplasty followed immediately after my arrival and in the evening I was "repaired" enough to be transferred to a local hospital in my town where I spent next week before being released home.
> 
> Had it happened to me in the USA ( I lived in a coastal resort town in soutern Georgia) I would have had to wait at least half an hour for the ambulance (I lived on an island, outside town, prioritizing nature and seaside over health care infrastructure, which i did not think I would ever need in such a hurry), and, if the local hospital did not have necessary staff and equipment I would have to be transfered by a helicopter to a larger hospital which would most lakily have taken the same amount of time as in Sweden. I had (and still have - I moved to Sweden at the end of May this year) a relatively good health insurance in USA, so I would not be denied the best of care... just the hospital, etc. bill would have been at least 50 times the size of the Swedish one.
> 
> ...


Very pleased to hear you are recovering after a heart attack. I think the problem with the USA, is it is so big, each state is the size of a large European country, sometimes twice the size of some of the smaller EU countries.
The roads in US are a dream to drive on, go on forever, but that is where you get the problems, any services, especially for emergencies are so far apart, if you have a medical problem-in your case, or have an accident, seconds can count in getting trained medical aid.
I would say your best bet is to live over winter, nearer one of the big towns, not in a very touristy area which is un-inhabited in winter, having people around for company, to talk to, and in case of medical emergency would help.
Also in Spain you can get plenty of good healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and plenty of fish and locally farmed meat, which is all good for a healthier diet.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We are in a fairly isolated Spanish pueblo, 40km from the nearest hospital, but there is a 24h emergency service in the local health centre and a fully equipped ambulance always on standby.

A friend of mine suffered a heart attack just before Christmas, sadly he didn't pull through but the emergency response team were absolutely amazing and he was receiving attention within two minutes of the attack.

In Wales only 65% of emergency calls result in the ambulance arriving in the target time of 8 minutes. BBC News - Welsh Ambulance Service target failure blamed on summer pressures


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> We are in a fairly isolated Spanish pueblo, 40km from the nearest hospital, but there is a 24h emergency service in the local health centre and a fully equipped ambulance always on standby.
> 
> A friend of mine suffered a heart attack just before Christmas, sadly he didn't pull through but the emergency response team were absolutely amazing and he was receiving attention within two minutes of the attack.
> 
> In Wales only 65% of emergency calls result*ed* in the ambulance arriving in the target time of 8 minutes. BBC News - Welsh Ambulance Service target failure blamed on *summer pressures*


This would be the case, don't tar the Welsh service because of a BBC report showing it missed 'targets' (set by who) by 0.9% due seasonal impacts which hit many parts of the UK. Even very average hospitals like Prince Charles in Merthyr have superb 'call to needle' times (call to drug intervention) in cardiac cases.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

As someone who is fully qualified to answer your question having suffered a (mild) heart attack just a couple of months ago. Medical facilities in Spain are excellent. I live in a small village and we have a fully equiped health centre with ambulance on standby. However, after self administered emergency treatment, my wife took me to the hospital in the next town 20km away because it would be quicker than getting an ambulance close to the house (very narrow roads/tight corners) where I had full stabilisation then transfer to the major heart hospital in the provincial capital. Three days later after being double-stented I was out, fully mobilised and home.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bob_bob said:


> This would be the case, don't tar the Welsh service because of a BBC report showing it missed 'targets' (set by who) by 0.9% due seasonal impacts which hit many parts of the UK. Even very average hospitals like Prince Charles in Merthyr have superb 'call to needle' times (call to drug intervention) in cardiac cases.


Fair enough!

Though the reports I get from my 86-year-old father-in-law in S. Wales suggest that there are elements of the service which leave a lot to be desired. For example following a heart attack, he was discharged from hospital at 6 am in his pyjamas and had to get a taxi home (30 miles away)!


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Anyway, one of my neighbours had a heart attack some years back in Spain. The attention he got was tremendous at the time, and he is carefully monitored by the local health centre now on a regular basis. He has no complaints

I was hospitalised a few years ago with a fractured skull after a fall and was unconscious for two days. Similarly, the care I received under the Spanish system was excellent. Ambulance arrived quickly, hospitaised in Gandia and then taken quickly to Valencia where they deal with head cases


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Stravinsky said:


> taken quickly to Valencia where they deal with head cases


Now we know where to send some forum members


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> Now we know where to send some forum members


Yes ..... that did cross my mind


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Fair enough!
> 
> Though the reports I get from my 86-year-old father-in-law in S. Wales suggest that there are elements of the service which leave a lot to be desired. For example following a heart attack, he was discharged from hospital at 6 am in his pyjamas and had to get a taxi home (30 miles away)!


Would not have happened on my shift and suspect there was more to this story than you say, there is no way an 86 year old in patient would be sent home in pyjamas at 06:00 unless he self discharged and refused hospital transport.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bob_bob said:


> Would not have happened on my shift and suspect there was more to this story than you say, there is no way an 86 year old in patient would be sent home in pyjamas at 06:00 unless he self discharged and refused hospital transport.


Well, he had no reason to make it up! He has been a strong supporter of the NHS all his life and would rather cut off his own arm than go private.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Well, he had no reason to make it up! He has been a strong supporter of the NHS all his life and would rather cut off his own arm than go private.


Sorry, he must have insisted on going, in these days of litigation its 'more than me jobs worth' to have sent him packing alone in a taxi if he was ill.


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## Minerva.909 (Jul 29, 2012)

bob_bob said:


> Would not have happened on my shift and suspect there was more to this story than you say, there is no way an 86 year old in patient would be sent home in pyjamas at 06:00 unless he self discharged and refused hospital transport.


Lol, I can believe that story! I am not 86, just 68, but two years ago I was discharged at 11:30 pm from an emergency room in southern USA in my - rather skimpy - night gown. I did not self discharged, did not refuse hospital transport - just was not offered any, since i was "stabilized enough" according to the emergency medic, and since I was brought there in an ambulance in a nightgown, the hospital graciously offered a blanket and a pair of socks and a taxi voucher for my home journey. It was early February to boot, but in southern Georgia, so I did not freeze too badly during that 30+ minutes taxi ride home to the island, where I lived. Needless to say I changed my health insurance provider the very next day.


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## GallineraGirl (Aug 13, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Fair enough!
> 
> Though the reports I get from my 86-year-old father-in-law in S. Wales suggest that there are elements of the service which leave a lot to be desired. For example following a heart attack, he was discharged from hospital at 6 am in his pyjamas and had to get a taxi home (30 miles away)!


My blind father, 82, was also sent home (28 miles) in the middle of the night from a hospital in the East of England. At the same time my Mother- in -Law, 86,was in hospital in Spain. We visited both on a regular basis and in, our opinion, the patient care in the Spanish hospital was far superior.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

As everywhere, the quality of the care you receive will depend on the institution and the professionalism and general 'humanity' of the staff of that institution.

My partner's mother suffered from bowel cancer and spent long spells in NHS hospitals in Glasgow before eventually dying in a hospice. At one point when my partner's mother had fallen unconscious in the shower and an ambulance was requested to take her back to hospital -she had been discharged a short time before - two days passed before an ambulance was sent to admit her. There was no car available to take her.

When she arrived there was a long wait....my partner was told by a nurse that her mother was 'lucky to get a bed'....Partner bit her tongue and did not reply that her aged mother had worked for over fifty years and paid taxes to the NHS as -revealing, this - she did not want her mother to be treated adversely because of any trouble she might make. Now I'm sure she was wrong in her perception but she isn't stupid and the ambiance of the hospital -cold, brusque, impersonal -led her to think that way.
Another time her mother was on a trolley waiting to be taken to the ward. It was a few minutes before shift change. Two orderlies stood chatting and when my partner asked them to take her mother to her bed they refused and replied that they would be off duty within five minutes....
The hospice, funded by private donation, was quite the opposite. The staff were caring and attentive to both patients and relatives, the wards were spotless and pleasant and everything that could be done for patient comfort was done.

There is a lot of pressure on the NHS and funding is being cut, as we know. Large concentrations of immigrants in some areas have put further pressure on scarce resopurces.
But a retired nurse and friend of my partner puts the blame on younger nursing staff in particular who see nursing as 'just another job', lack professionalism and and also the sense of duty typical of most older people in the profession.

I don't know if this is true but I do know that there is an immense gap between the private and public sector in the UK which isn't just down to money. The time has come to rethink the creaky 'care free at the point of use, funded from general taxation' model which is outmoded and no longer the envy of the world, as we supposed it was.

Countries with insurance-based models of health funding seem to be able to provide much better all-round standards of health care. My experience of the German health system in Cologne, a busy city with a large immigrant population, was an eye-opener...first rate.
As I understand it, in this system the Government licences two or three approved insurance providers and there is a basic but quality threshold with options to enjoy 'better' facilities (not medical care but private room etc.) if the patient wishes.

The old NHS model has passed its sell-by date. General taxation simply can't continue to meet the growing demands for expensive new drugs and other technologies and the pressures of an ageing population.

I can see the same situation arising in Spain as regional governments see funding dry up. My experience of medical provision in Spain is first-rate, mainly due to the attitude and personalities of the staff I have dealt with. But it's time for new and radical thinking. This 'one size fits all' model of a health service is outmoded. People should be encouraged too to take more responsibility for their heath and realise that money for health provision doesn't come from a bottomless pit.


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