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4
Diagnosi
1
Explaining diagnosis and management
1
Traccia 4
1
Doctor
:
Having examined you, Ms Turner, I’m fairly confident that you’re suffering
from angina.
2
Patient
:
Oh.
3
Doctor
:
Let me explain. The heart’s a pump, OK? The more you do physically,
the harder it has to work. But as we get older, the blood vessels which supply
oxygen to the heart begin to harden and get furred up, so they become narrower.
They can’t supply all the oxygen the heart needs and the result is the pain you
feel as angina.
4
Patient
:
I see.
5
Doctor
:
Because you’re experiencing pain at rest as well as on exertion, I’m going
to have you admitted to the coronary care unit straightaway so that your treatment
can start at once.
6
Patient
:
Right.
7
Doctor
:
You’ll be given drugs to ease the pain and I expect you’ll have an angio-
gram. They may advise surgery or angioplasty.
8
Patient
:
What’s that, doctor?
9
Doctor
:
That’s a way of opening up the blood vessels to the heart so they can
provide more oxygen.
10
Patient
:
I see.
11
Doctor
:
It’s also important that you quit smoking. You won’t be able to smoke at
all in hospital so it’s a good time to stop.
12
Patient
:
Well,
I’ll try.
13
Doctor
:
Hopefully the treatment will improve your pain at least and may get rid
of it completely.
14
Patient
:
I very much hope so.
1
Questa conversazione è stata adattata da Glendinning, E. H. & Howard, R. (2007),
Professional
English in Use: Medicine
, Cambridge, CUP, p. 112.