PGH doctors say Enrile vulnerable to stroke, should stay in a hospital

By ELIZABETH MARCELO, GMA News

Published September 4, 2014 4:13pm

(UPDATED 8:00 p.m.) Doctors, who conducted medical tests on Senate Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile,
on Thursday told the Sandiganbayan that the 90-year-old lawmaker charged with plunder should be detained in a hospital.

At the hearing of the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Enrile’s motion for hospital arrest pending the resolution of his motion for bail, cardiologist Dr. John Añonuevo said Enrile was susceptible to stroke and heart attack with his irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries due to high calcium deposits

Añonuevo said that based on the results of the exams, Enrile has chronic hypertension with fluctuating blood pressure levels; high calcium deposits in his coronary artery “which means his probability of having coronary disease is very high”; and atrium ventricular arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat.

“His blood pressure levels are beyond normal. For his age, a blood pressure beyond 150 is considered abnormal,” Añonuevo said.

He said there were several occasions when Enrile’s blood pressure shot up to 160 and even to 170.

“We also documented episodes of rapid heartbeat. His heartbeat in one occasion was 164 beat per minute, which was very high,” Añonuevo said, adding that the normal heartbeat was 60 to 99 per minute.

Añonuevo said they also observed a 50 percent narrowing of Enrile’s carotid artery which is the pathway for the supply of blood to the brain.

He said that these conditions give Enrile a "high probability” of stroke and heart attack.

Pulmonologist Dr. Leonora Fernandez said Enrile had asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which may lead to pneumonia. Fernandez also said that they observed narrowing of small airways in Enrile’s lungs.

“Excessive heat, humidity and dust might worsen his asthma and COPD,” Fernandez said.

Opthalmologist Maria Florentina Fajardo-Gomez said that Enrile had age-related macular degeneration, which may lead to central blindness, meaning “not total blindness but the patient can only see in the periphery."

Gomez said that while the eye condition of Enrile, cannot be considered a cause for medical emergency, there was a need for him to have regular check-ups and medication.

Asked by Third Division member Associate Justice Alex Quiros whether there was an immediate threat on the life of Enrile given his current situation, all the three doctors replied in the negative.

The doctors, however, said that Enriles condition could lead to a medical emergency that might endanger his life if he was not given proper attention.

“Senator Enrile, based on our assessment, has multiple medical problems...his risk is quite high for sudden pulmonary and heart event that might cause emergency,” Añonuevo said.

For his part, PGH Director Jose Gonzalez, said that though they have no way of determining exactly what the current condition of Enrile and his continued stay at the Philippine National Police General Hospital might post to his health, the exams showed that there were serious risks if he will be transferred to a regular jail facility.

“Medicine is not an exact science like math or physics that you can predict right away. We have to rely on the statistics, based on what we have studied,” Gonzales said.

Asked by Associate Justice Samuel Martires if they think there was a need for Enrile to be transferred to a tertiary medical facility, all the doctors answered, “yes”.

The two hospitals recommended in the PGH report submitted to the court were the Philippine Hearth Center and the PGH.

Even the officer in charge of the PNP General Hospital, Police Supt. Marivic Jocson concurred with the PGH doctors.

“Given his age, Senator Enrile is susceptible to diseases. When emergency situation arises, we cannot give him the best service,” Jocson said.

She said the PNP General Hospital, where Enrile is currently detained did not have cardiologists and pulmonologists, and while it had ophthalmologists, “they are not specialized in retinal ophthalmology.”

An internist in the PNP General Hospital who was attending to Enrile said the police hospital also did not have a coronary care unit and specialized laboratories to conduct tests.

“If the condition of the patient worsens, we don’t have the facility,” the internist said.

The prosecution was given five days to comment on the PGH report, after which, Enrile’s motion for hospital arrest will be submitted for resolution.

Enrile is under temporary hospital arrest at the PNP General Hospital for cases of plunder and graft in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-billion pork barrel fund scam.

Asked where they think Enrile should be confined, all three doctors from the Philippine General Hospital said Enrile should be held in a tertiary hospital.

The Sandiganbayan earlier ordered the PGH to conduct tests on Enrile to determine whether the senator's motion for hospital arrest had merit.

Enrile is charged with plunder and multiple counts of graft in connection with his alleged involvement in the P10-billion pork barrel scam. —NB, GMA News

Tags: bantaykaban, sandiganbayan, juanponceenrile, hospitalarrest