 
infarct |
Eisenhower had a left anterior myocardial infarction in September 1955, while on vacation at his in-laws' house in Denver. He was transported by car to Fitzsimmons Veterans Hospital and placed in an oxygen tent. His EKG showed ventricular and supraventricular premature beats. Although he developed a friction rub, he was treated with heparin [6]. Eisenhower broke with precedent and released detailed information about his illness to the public, but nevertheless, some of what the public learned was carefully choreographed [6]. Eisenhower's long term treatment included coumadin 35 mg/wk, a low fat diet, and maintenance of weight at 175 pounds [6a]. |
More... |
Compared to today, of course, much less was known about the role of fat and
cholesterol in coronary artery disease in Eisenhower's time. It is hard
to believe that people ate as they did in the 1950s and 1960s. (We will
see this again in the discussion of Lyndon Johnson's heart disease.)
For example, here's what Eisenhower ate on the day of his infarct [6b]:
- Breakfast: sausage, bacon, mush, hotcakes.
- Lunch: hamburger with raw onion.
- Dinner: roast lamb.
When Eisenhower experienced "indigestion" after lunch on the day
of his infarction, he blamed the onion.
Of course, it was probably Eisenhower's 4-pack-a-day cigarette habit which
did the most damage to his arteries. He quit cold-turkey in 1949 [1a].
The pace of Eisenhower's recovery from his infarction is also interesting.
Summarized in the table below [6],
it seems slow by today's standards, but for the time was
remarkably aggressive. In 1955, patients with a myocardial infarction
were routinely kept in bed for 6 months afterwards, and Dr. Paul Dudley White
was criticized by his contemporaries for mobilizing
the President so quickly. In retrospect, Eisenhower's "rapid"
recovery after his infarction changed the way infarct patients were treated
thereafter [???ref.]. Today, patients with an uncomplicated myocardial infarction spend
just a few days in the hospital.
| Date (1955) | Event |
|---|
| September 24 | Infarct. Bedrest prescribed. |
| October 11 | First allowed to see a cabinet member. |
| October 22 | Sitting up in a chair for a few hours each day,
and holding daily conferences about his presidential duties. |
| November 7 | Walking and starting to climb stairs. |
| November 11 | Returned to Washington, the trip delayed a month so
that Eisenhower would not be seen being wheeled to the airplane and being
lifted on board. After landing in Washington, goes to his farm in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. |
| December 26 | Eisenhower doubts whether he should run for a second term
as president with that "sword of Damocles" over his head. He suggests
that Vice President Nixon should run instead. |
| Date (1956) | Event |
|---|
| January 13 | Famous secret meeting with close advisors about his
future. They recommend strongly that he should run again. |
| February 14 | Medical team reports there are no signs of cardiac
enlargment. Harvard cardiologist Paul Dudley White, a member of the team,
tells the press there was nothing to indicate that President Eisenhower could
not carry on "his present active life satisfactorily for another five
to ten years." Privately, White, a Republican, urged the President not
to run. |
| February 28 | Eisenhower announces he is running for a second
term in 1956. |
|
