A double-hearted man

In the course of 47 years medics were unable to detect that their patient, resident of Inguushetia Zyaudin Yandiev had an exceptionally rare condition.

The man had two almost identical hearts.

“I remember when I was a child doctors from Grozny visited our school for annual checkups. Once, they said I had two hearts. With age however I started to forget about it,” tells Zyaundin Yandiev. Afterwards, I was drafted; served in the army for a couple of years. I attended several doctors for various checkups but nobody had mentioned my anomaly, until my recent hospitalization due to some blood-related problem in Kabardino-Balkariya.”

Many medical workers who conducted the initial checkup of the patient, as usually, listened to his heart beat on the left side. Therefore, Zyaudin's anomaly was left unnoticed.

“Cardiologist however almost jumped when in the course of taking my cardiogram, one of the electrodes momentarily shifted from left to right and came to a standstill,” recalls Z. Yandiev. “The doctor exclaimed something and left the room. Soon afterward, a crowd of doctors filled the room in no time. They thoroughly examined me. It was officially declared that my body is powered by two hearts simultaneously and that my health should be constantly monitored by doctors and the government. However, as soon as my stay at the sanatorium was over, I had to return to Ingushetiya. All promises were soon forgotten. Everything returned to the way it was. Today, medics look at my cardiograms of both of my hearts and cannot conceal their amazement.”

Zyaudin was admitted to the sanatorium in November of 2003 after suffering a heart attack of both hearts. “I would not say that I am treated differently these days when people are aware of my condition,” says Zyaudin. “I have to wait in line for my doctor to see me just as everybody else. In fact it never even occurred to me to use my genetic anomaly to my benefit.”      

 Source: RIA