Ruijin treats Russian tourist's heart attack with translation-assisted emergency care

Alexander, a 54-year-old visitor from Russia, developed persistent, severe chest pain while resting in his Shanghai hotel. Hotel staff took him to Ruijin Hospital, where the emergency team began assessing a possible heart attack. The case was reported in August 2026.

Tests led to urgent angiography

Doctors performed an electrocardiogram and cardiac enzyme testing. His troponin level was markedly elevated, prompting concern about severe coronary artery disease. The team decided that emergency coronary angiography was needed to identify the obstruction and guide treatment.

Rapid decisions mattered because continuing interruption of the heart's blood supply can damage heart muscle and lead to dangerous rhythm disturbances or circulatory failure. The team moved from the initial tests to an emergency intervention pathway.

Explaining treatment across a language barrier

Neither Alexander nor his wife could communicate in Chinese or English. Before the procedure, cardiologist Sun Yanyi used a translation app to explain the proposed treatment and the risks involved.

The discussion included both the patient and his wife. After the clinician had checked that they understood the plan and its potential risks, the couple signed the consent form. The translation support enabled that clinical conversation during the urgent preparations.

Reopening the blocked artery

Angiography showed that the proximal right coronary artery was completely blocked. Ruijin's interventional cardiology team used its chest pain centre protocol to reopen the artery and implant a stent within a short time.

The hospital described the procedure as successful. Alexander subsequently expressed his gratitude to the clinicians who treated him. Shanghai's chest pain centre network, described alongside the case, covers district-level and tertiary hospitals and supports rapid diagnosis and treatment of severe cardiac emergencies.