Man dies of heart attack caused by blood clot; confirmed to have COVID-19 after death
The man is the fourth COVID-19 case since the start of April to have died from heart issues and whose cause of death is not linked to the coronavirus. His death was not added to Singapore's official COVID-19 death toll.
Google Street View of Sengkang General Hospital.
SINGAPORE: A 53-year-old man who died of a heart attack due to a blood clot was confirmed to have COVID-19 after his death, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday (May 11).
The Indian national was taken to the emergency department of Sengkang General Hospital on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest, MOH said in its daily update.
READ:Â Singapore reports 486 new COVID-19 infections, number of discharged cases hits new daily high of 504
He died on Saturday and was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Sunday after his death.
“The cause of death is ruptured myocardial infarction due to coronary thrombosis,” the health ministry said.
He is the fourth COVID-19 case since the start of April to have died from heart issues and whose cause of death is not linked to COVID-19. His death was not added to the official death toll.
READ: COVID-19: Why 3 positive cases who died from heart issues were not added to Singapore’s official death toll
“Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count,” MOH said.
“This is consistent with international practice for classifying deaths.”
Coronary thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart, restricting blood flow. This can lead to myocardial infarction – the medical term for a heart attack – which occurs when blood flow slows or stops to part of the heart.
It is different from a cardiac arrest, which is when the heart cannot pump effectively, resulting in a sudden loss of blood flow.
“In 2018, 86 male foreign workers aged 25 to 59 passed away due to heart disease in Singapore,” MOH said on Monday.
Reports from doctors in China, Europe and the US have noted a dangerous complication of COVID-19 – blood clotting.
These "thrombotic events" occur for a variety of reasons among intensive care patients, but the rates among COVID-19 patients are far higher than would be otherwise expected, AFP reported.
READ:Â Mysterious blood clots are COVID-19's latest lethal surprise
 A recent paper from the Netherlands in the journal Thrombosis Research found that 31 per cent of 184 patients suffered thrombotic complications, a figure that the researchers called "remarkably high" - even if extreme consequences, like amputation, are rare.
ONE COVID-19 DEATH
MOH reported a 21st fatality due to COVID-19 on Monday.
Case 1305, a 68-year-old Singaporean, died from complications due to COVID-19 on Monday.
He was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Apr 5 and had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, MOH said.
READ:Â Singapore reports 486 new COVID-19 infections, number of discharged cases hits new daily high of 504
The man is linked to two other COVID-19 patients – Cases 1660 and 3984.
Case 1660 is a 65-year-old Singaporean woman who tested positive for COVID-19 on Apr 8. She is warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
Case 3984 is a seven-year-old Singaporean boy who was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Apr 15. He has been discharged after making a full recovery.
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