This article appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Discover magazine as "Business as Usual." Become a subscriber for unlimited access to our archive.
The quiet of my night on call was interrupted by the familiar chime of my pager. The message on the screen requested I come to the emergency room to evaluate a patient with chest pain. For a gastroenterologist, “chest pain” is a bit of an uncommon symptom; usually, such concerns go to cardiology. But sometimes people with chest pain have a GI cause for their troubles.
When I arrived in the ER, the patient was sitting up in bed, leaning forward, and gently rocking back and forth in what was clearly a state of significant distress. Still, Matt, a 60-year-old salesman, was able to tell me what was going on. As part of his job, he occasionally had to take potential clients out to business dinners ...
