Why the Latest Lawsuit Filed by John Ritter's Widow Includes Info Could Save Your Life - or that of Someone You Love

On February 4th, Amy Yasbeck, John Ritter's wife and widow, announced that she was filing suit against two doctors to the tune of $67 million dollars. While that amount of money may seem breathtaking, Amy Yasbeck noted that she intends to use much of the money (if she wins) to start the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. See information here about that, one of many sites which has links to the interview as well as other details about John Ritter: www.fluffytails.ca/johnritter.asp

According to the interview, which I happened to see and Tivo, John's condition was misdiagnosed as a heart attack in spite of allegations by Amy Yasbeck that earlier x-rays, taken years before, indicated that area of the aorta was enlarged. After John died, his surviving brother was diagnosed with the same aortic condition, underwent surgery and is a survivor. He was at risk of death before then, from the same thing that killed John!

Please note: no information in this article is meant to substitute for medical evaluation and treatment.

What you can learn from this:

First of all, know your family history. Did anyone die young of heart disease? Has it occurred more than once in your family's history or genetic family tree? Did anyone die of something called aortic dissection? Particularly if the answer to the last question is "yes" then seek medical advice from an experienced cardiologist. Get a chest x-ray and other tests. Aortic dissection can run in families!

Even if you aren't at risk, know the facts about aortic dissection. Again, a tendency for this can run in families. More information can be found here: www.sjhlex.org/body.cfm

While the condition is not common, it does occur more often in people with high blood pressure, a family history of the disease as well as those prone to arteriosclerotic vascular disease. There are other, even rarer, congentital disorders, conditions which are present at birth but not always detected. You can read about those at the site link above.

Know the symptoms and be sure that doctors know how to determine the difference between an aortic dissection and a heart attack.