Doctor's Heart
The heart attack did not prevent the neurosurgeon from completing the operationAn employee of the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, Claudio Vitale, managed to complete brain surgery despite a heart attack that he suffered right in the operating room, the ANSA news agency reports. The 59-year-old doctor felt acute chest pain half an hour after the start of the operation, but decided to bring the surgical intervention to an end despite the persuasions of colleagues.
Vitale's diagnosis of a heart attack was confirmed by the results of a blood test taken during a short break in the operating room. Despite this, the operation – removal of a malignant brain tumor – ended without complications, and now the patient's condition does not cause concern.
After the operation, the surgeon was hospitalized in the cardiology department of the same Cardarelli Hospital, he needed to remove a blood clot from the coronary artery. Last Friday, Cladio Vitale was discharged from the hospital, and in the near future he intends to return to work again.
"I'm not a hero, I was just doing my duty: it was impossible to leave the patient at such an important moment," Vitale said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper.