Bernie Sanders got blasted for failing to disclose that it was a heart attack that hospitalized him last week. But in fairness to the old guy, it seems right that he take a few days for himself to recuperate. But here’s what’s more important: He also needed a few days for his medical team to monitor his his left ventricular ejection fraction in the days after the event.
That sounds obscure, but any heart attack victim will tell you that that “ejection fraction” is the most important piece of information for assessing post-heart attack health.
The ejection fraction is a measure of the pumping efficiency of his heart. If this many days from the attack, it’s in or close to a normal range, Sanders can likely campaign as aggressively as any septuagenarian. But if his heart muscle is damaged in the wake of the attack, his ejection fraction will signal heart failure. In that case, for both his sake and that of his supporters, he ought to end his campaign.
Again, the initial ire directed toward Sanders was overtly partisan and frankly inappropriate:
Bernie Sanders had a heart attack and his campaign hid that fact from the public for three days. His age does factor into the conversation that we should be having about this—but he could be younger than Buttigieg and this would still be improper behavior. https://t.co/yP8pA40f9U
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) October 5, 2019
totally unacceptable: Mr. Sanders has not disclosed whether blood and electrocardiogram tests showed he had a heart attack. The senator and his campaign have not allowed reporters to interview his doctors,
https://t.co/Zg1RLj7sLQ— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 4, 2019
Written on 9/12/16 – one day after we found out HRC had pneumonia.
“…but the damage has already been done to her trustworthiness.” https://t.co/sODSppzVti
Bernie had a heart attack and his campaign was not honest about it. Has damage been done to his trustworthiness? pic.twitter.com/zLVVQakBLR
— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) October 7, 2019
Knowing that Sanders had a heart attack in the first place wasn’t vital information to have right away, and he ought to recover in peace. But the public deserves to know, now, if he is physically capable to become the leader of the free world.
Bernie looked high in spirits as he left the hospital, and we all ought to pray that he’s well enough to see his campaign through to the convention. But if his heart is failing, that’s a matter of public interest.
