A super fit fitness fanatic who “died” for seven minutes has told how he is lucky to be alive, amid an alarming rise in cardiac arrests among thin young people.
Dale Bilson, from Castle Donington in Leicestershire, began to feel tightness in his chest moments after joining his wife’s gym class in August.
After his chest pain worsened, forcing him to leave class, he rushed to the emergency room to get checked out.
But just minutes after arriving, the marketing manager, who had no previous heart problems, went into cardiac arrest in the waiting room and was given CPR.
Doctors had to shock his heart three times to bring him back to life, and his heart technically stopped for an excruciating seven minutes.
Dale Bilson, from Castle Donington in Leicestershire, began to feel tightness in his chest moments after joining his wife’s gym class in August. Pictured is Mr Bilson with his wife Sophie.
After his chest pain worsened, forcing him to leave class, he rushed to the emergency room to get checked out. In the photo, Mr. Bilson with his daughter Margot.
Mr. Bilson underwent emergency surgery in which a stent was inserted.
It comes as data has shown a worrying rise in cardiovascular conditions, including heart attacks, coronary heart disease and stroke, among younger, fit and active adults.
Several factors are believed to play a role, including drug use, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and poor diets.
But the timing clearly implies that the Covid pandemic has played a role.
The virus itself causes widespread inflammation in the body that can damage the heart or cause blood clots.
Depression, anxiety and stress also increased among young people during lockdowns, and all three have been linked to heart attacks.
Recalling his terrifying experience, he said: “My wife convinced me to do an early morning HIIT class at our local gym. We started warming up and I felt more tired than usual.
“I did a series of circuits doing burpees and squats and my wife looked at me and said, ‘You’ve stopped, I thought you were in better shape than this.’
‘At the beginning of the second circuit, I thought this didn’t feel good at all. I felt like I needed some fresh air and got out of the environment.
“My chest was starting to feel a little tight, which turned into a little bit of pain.
“Being a guy, I thought I was already a coward coming out of class, so if I leave it for five minutes, the pain will go away.”
After the tension did not subside after 15 minutes, his wife Sophie took him to the local hospital.
But two minutes later he suffered cardiac arrest.
Bilson added: “They started CPR on me and put me on a machine that performs CPR mechanically, forcing the heart to start beating.”
But within minutes of arriving, the marketing manager, who had no previous heart problems, went into cardiac arrest in the waiting room and was given CPR.
Doctors had to shock his heart three times to bring him back to life, and his heart technically stopped for an excruciating seven minutes.
“They tried to get my heart to work on its own, but apparently it didn’t work the first two times. They said I didn’t have a heartbeat for seven or eight minutes.
“Apparently, if more than nine minutes have passed, the risk of not being revived increases enormously. Soph was told to call everyone to come see me and say goodbye.
Doctors determined that Mr. Bilson’s cardiovascular emergency was caused by blockages in three arteries in his heart.
Without CPR, cardiac arrests can kill in minutes.
Because the heart stops and all signs of life cease, it is considered a form of death, although not in the legal sense, as it can be reversed by restarting the heart.
This is done through CPR or a shock from a defibrillator, but neither method guarantees survival.
Bilson, who regularly plays rugby, football and goes to the gym, said: ‘At my age it was practically unheard of.
‘Family history is a big part of it and we believe stress had an impact. Almost every doctor I’ve talked to has told me how young I am.
Doctors determined that Mr. Bilson’s cardiovascular emergency was caused by blockages in three arteries in his heart.
While some warning signs are easy to spot, such as severe chest pain, others are more vague and difficult to identify.
‘The doctors told me that the stars aligned.
‘If I hadn’t been with my wife at the gym, she wouldn’t have been able to take me and I might have suffered a cardiac arrest on the way.
“A lot of different things worked in my favor.
“I realized that my daughter could have gone to her first day of school without a father and that my wife Sophie would have been widowed at 28.
‘I would tell people to always check their family history and if you have any concerns, get them checked by your doctor.
“And if you’re in a situation where you think you’re having a heart attack, call 999.”
Earlier this year, alarming data revealed that premature deaths from cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, had reached their highest level in more than a decade.
NHS data shows an increase in the number of young adults suffering heart attacks over the last decade. The largest increase (95 percent) was in the 25- to 29-year-old demographic, although as the number of patients is low, even small spikes can seem dramatic.
MailOnline has previously highlighted how the number of young people under 40 in England being treated for heart attacks by the NHS is increasing.
Cases of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke among those under 75 had been declining since the 1960s thanks to plummeting smoking rates, advanced surgical techniques and advances such as stents and statins.
But rising rates of obesity and its catalog of associated health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, are now believed to be one of the main contributing factors.
Slow ambulance response times for category 2 calls in England, including suspected heart attacks and strokes, as well as long waits for tests and treatments, have also been blamed.
Despite the claims of anti-vaxxers, cardiologists say fears that Covid vaccines may have led to a rise in heart problems are wildly misplaced.
