It was just another day in outpatient cardiology clinic. Nothing exciting for an interventional cardiologist, whose playground is the catheterization laboratory rather than an office visits.

The day was almost over, one last patient and I am out of there, I thought. The patient turned out to be very distinctive looking older gentleman who told me about his debilitating chest pains that started about a week ago. He was ready to ignore them, but his daughter insisted on and that was the only reason for the visit. Just by his chest pain story alone I was sure that he need urgent help.

Unfortunately he was not a trusting in the system American, this patient as many others I see in this clinic were from Russia. They happen to be much more challenging.

I think, by experiences from their past, those patients tend not to trust any medical system. Sometimes despite extensive explanations I had patients jumping off the cardiac catheterization table, leaving hospital half treated, turning to herbs for treatment of otherwise treatable conditions. It seems that they have to be very sick, and in a lots of pain, or discomfort to agree readily to proposed therapy.

In case of my clinic patient all those thoughts were crossing my mind since he firmly did not want anything done, just asking for pills, and letting him to go home. I engaged him in conversation about his job, knowing that it may help to open him up.

To my amazement he turned out to be a retired professor of medicine from Leningrad, who was involved in the Soviet Union’s space program, and development of a diet for first Soviet cosmonauts - Gagarina and Tiereszkovej. I was truly impressed that here in Chicago I have a chance to talk to somebody who was part of a program I had known reading about in newspapers and by watching TV.

It took me another 30 or so minute to persuade him to have a stress test, to show him severity of his condition. He most likely thought totally opposite, - that way I will get this doctor off my back. Stress test, as predicted, brought same chest pain, along with an impressive ST segment changes. Of course, after the pain subsided my professor insisted on going home.

I wanted to keep him for an angiogram, absolutely convinced that at that point it is the only way, otherwise he may end up with a major heart attack. Negotiations started, and involved professor’s family. I insisted on his hospitalization, and I was willing to have him send anywhere in the city if he did not want to stay, just so he can get care somewhere.

Paradoxically, after all that talking mostly in Russian, my professor developed some trust in my opinion, and agreed to be admitted.

I was all excited telling my residents about this man who witnessed beginnings of space exploration era, had known Gagarin and Tiereszkova among the others. To my surprise I have gotten glossy eyes asking me - who???. They signed me off as somebody so alien as patient himself.

The next day professor underwent an angiogram that showed almost completely occluded one of the major arteries in the heart. As bad as it sounds it was technically a very simple case, and after total of another 10 minute my professor’s artery was back to its original look from 99% blocked to O%. My gratification was his happiness, and his daughter’s relief.

The next day I have discharged him home, and saw him in three weeks for a follow-up visit. He felt absolutely perfect, I was happy, and hoping that once in a while he would come in for a check up so I can get more stories about space pioneers.

As of now I am not sure if I see him again. In near future I join Loyola University in Chicago, and likely loose my Russian speaking patients, whom I regret since they often, broke monotony of a standard patient - as “my professor”.