A fan of the movie Avatar 2 has died after suffering what’s suspected to have been an “excitement-induced heart attack” while watching the film. Per multiple sources including The Metro and The Philippine Star , Lakshmireddy Srinu went to watch the animated movie at a theater in the Kakinada district of southern Andhra Pradesh state with his younger brother in tow. Per reports, the movie may have left the man so overwhelmed by excitement, it led to a heart attack. The medical emergency saw him reportedly collapse in the middle of the movie before being rushed to hospital.
‘Excitement-Induced Heart Attack’
Dr. Sanjeev Geta, senior consultant for interventional cardiology at Aster CMI Hospital, told The Hindustani Times , “People with underlying heart problems can die suddenly due to extreme stress or excitement. This may be due to a plaque rupture in the coronaries or triggering of an arrhythmia due to the excitement,” adding,
“These kinds of deaths do happen during exciting matches or emotional situation.”
Explaining It All
He continued to explain what might have caused the heart attack – per Dr. Geta, due to stress, an increase in blood pressure is the likely culprit and it is quite likely to have been “what happened in this case.” He also said that the arteries could have torn and this can also cause sudden cardiac arrest.
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Arrhythmia Due To Excitement
Also possible, is a cardiac arrhythmia – where the heartbeat is not regular – as a result of excitement. Such patterns are often detected via an EKG, but obviously, this happened prior to any medical testing and during the movie. Back in 2010, a 42-year-old man in Taiwan died from a heart attack while watching the first Avatar movie.
Twitter Replies
On Twitter, there’s been talk of the story – some users, however, couldn’t help but make a joke. “The first movie had no cultural impact so Cameron decided to impact the poor guy’s heart with the new one,” one user wrote. Avatar 2 is the sequel to James Cameron’s epic. It was released globally in movie theaters last Friday.
Star Cast
Avatar 2 features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, plus Titanic actress Kate Winslet. Also featured is Fast & Furious star, Vin Diesel.
2010 ‘Avatar’ Death
Twelve years ago, the Taiwanese man dying during the screening of Avatar made similar headlines to this week’s tragic story.
Doctor Comments On The Death
“It’s likely that the over-excitement from watching the movie triggered his symptoms,” Dr. Peng Chin-chih told AFP of the sad news.
Animated Mania
Fans are now geared up for a series of movies that form franchises – also popular is the child-friendly Toy Story.
Health And Safety
Doctors always advise monitoring any underlying cardiac condition with regular check-ups and EKGs.
