Heart Attack Grill's 'Bypass Burger' Claims Second Victim

The Heart Attack Grill, Las Vegas' shrine to unhealthy eating, said another diner had to be wheeled away from the restaurant on a stretcher after chowing down on one of its infamous "Bypass Burgers" -- the second since February.

RoadFish.com hopes that these back-to-back incidents will spark awareness in people to take good care of their health, and evaluate what they are putting into their bodies. RoadFish.com believes that you can't put a price tag on a healthy diet, and that good health, wealth, and happiness go hand in hand.

RoadFish.com men's lifestyle and finance magazine was fairly appalled to learn of the second diner in the span of two months collapsing during a meal at the Heart Attack Grill and being rushed to the hospital.

Owner Jon Basso told KVVU-TV that the patron, believed to be in her mid-40s, was eating a Double Bypass Burger when she suffered an apparent heart attack.

"I would say the woman gave her body every single thing it could handle, and it finally gave out," Basso told the TV station.

There is a sign at the Heart Attack Grill that issues the warning, "This Establishment is bad for Your Health." Items on the menu include burgers with names such as the "Triple" and "Quadruple Bypass Burger," and lard-cooked "Flatliner French Fries." The quadruple bypass burger has even been named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most caloric sandwich in the world, coming in at 10,000 calories for the 4-patty burger topped with layers of cheese and bacon. 

The Heart Attack Grill is no stranger to controversy, with slogans like, a "Taste worth dying for!" and a house policy that allows diners weighing more than 350 pounds to eat for free.

Basso said the diner was also drinking alcohol and smoking before falling onto the floor unconscious.

It's the second time in three months that one of the restaurant's customers has collapsed while devouring one of its signature burgers. A man in his 40s was enjoying a 6,000-calorie Triple Bypass Burger when he began sweating, shaking and experiencing chest pains. He was hospitalized and released.

RoadFish.com hopes that these incidents will raise awareness and prompt people to look closely at their health and eating decisions. RoadFish.com's senior staff writer is quoted saying, "Two major keys of being healthy include getting enough nutrients through food and water, and not taking in toxins. Another one is getting enough exercise. I don't know the lifestyles of the people who collapsed at the Heart Attack Grill, and how healthy and fit they were before their respective incidents. But I do hope that these unfortunate events have sparked some awareness in others to take really good care of their health, and eat 10,000 calorie meals sparingly."

According to the above-mentioned Reuters article, restaurant Joe Basso is quoted saying of the female customer who collapsed on Saturday, "She was eating, drinking, smoking, laughing, dancing, and having fun. But when you treat your body like that day in and day out, eventually your body is going to give out."

"We attract an avant-garde clientele -- thrill seekers, risk takers," Basso told the Los Angeles Times. "It attracts people who don't really take good care of their health."

Basso said he's been following the woman's condition and that she is recovering at an area hospital.

Heart attack alarm 'will save lives'

Cardiologists have designed a 'heart attack alarm' which warns wearers of the impending event with beeps or vibrations.

A medical implant can warn users about a potential heart attack through a combination of vibrations, tones and visual signs and save lives, says a study.

Named AngelMed Guardian, the device is currently undergoing clinical evaluation, reported study co-authors Mary Carol Day and Christopher Young from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), Santa Monica, CA, US.

More than 30 percent of one million heart attack victims in the US die every year before seeking medical attention. The average time from the onset of symptoms to arrival at the hospital has remained at three hours for more than 10 years, the journal Ergonomics in Design reported.

What makes the device distinctive is a combination of alert modes. Although vibrating alarms are sometimes used to warn surgeons in operating rooms or ICUs of an emergency, very little research has focused on their potential as a self-monitoring device for patients.

“A vibrotactile (vibrating) alarm provided by the implanted device has two major advantages,” said Day.

“First, the implanted device can’t be left behind like a portable device,” said Day, according to a university statement.

“Second, a vibrotactile alarm from the implanted device is more likely to be felt than an auditory alarm is to be heard because, for example, the patient may be wearing heavy clothing, has hearing loss or is in a noisy environment,” added Day.

The device offers two levels of alarm urgency: A high-priority alarm indicates that the patient may be having a heart attack and should call 911, and a low-priority alarms indicates that a condition has been detected that requires a doctor’s visit within 48 hours.

The alarms are provided by an implanted medical device, similar in size to a pacemaker, who is placed in the upper left chest, plus an external device, similar to a pager, that emits an auditory alarm and flashes a red or yellow warning light.

“If the Guardian is approved for sale by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), it might be extended in ways that will change the way the patient interacts with the system as a whole,” Day concluded.

Many heart attack victims do not have classic early warning signs like intense chest pain, or sweating, and experience nothing more than mild discomfort. Others ignore the signs or recognise them too late. The result is it is often hours before they seek medical help. For some, that delay is fatal.

The inventors of the AngelMed Guardian System hope the device will cut the death rate from heart attacks by a quarter, by alerting the wearer as soon as possible.

This will enable them to get to hospital perhaps two hours sooner than they would have done, reducing the chance of death and preserving heart muscle.  Continue - - - - - - -