Program

“Timed Out” - Recognition of the Early Warning Symptoms in the Development of Cardiac Disease: An Artistic Exhibit through Thematic Photography

May 27, 2022 from 10:25am PDT to 10:55am PDT

Unusual and unprovoked early symptoms [Prodromal Symptoms] of coronary artery disease (CAD) are hard to recognize. Prodromal Symptoms [PS] are often transient in nature as they occur at unexpected times and come and go with such irregularity that one regards them as just odd and not related to their declining heart health. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to explore the process of realization of PS leading to CAD.

Methods: 23 individual experiences of prodromal symptomology were explored using the arts-based embodied layered exploration [ABELE] qualitative method. Women and men, 48 to 78 years of age post myocardial infarction were recruited from cardiac rehabilitation centres.

Results: Themes arising from the narratives revealed that this introspective process included denial and disbelief, rationalization and self recrimination at not realizing PS were a cardinal sign of CAD. Thematic photography depicted the underlying tensions around “Time” prior, during and after the event. The symptoms of encroaching CAD often denied are depicted in a series of 4 photographs entitled “Running Out of Time”. The actual cardiac event is pictorially displayed as a person who has “Timed Out” and has infarcted. The third set of photos depicts the themes of self-recrimination and gratitude at surviving; living through the experience post infarct entitled: “Recovered Time”.

Conclusions: Creating knowledge of PS and individuals’ experiences of recognition of CAD requires an environment where mutual recognition and collaborative sharing can occur, we do this by uniting research and art in which the meaning of cardiac disease can be experienced.

 

Speakers / Panelists