BENTONVILLE -- Benton County Judge Bob Clinard remained hospitalized Monday after he underwent a procedure to treat coronary artery disease, a county official said.
Rosemary Goines, Clinard's executive assistant, said doctors at Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville said they found scarring on Clinard's heart that pointed to a possible "silent heart attack" at some point.
At A Glance
About Heart Disease
Heart disease is a broad term for a wide variety of diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart rhythm disorders called arrhythmias and defects of the heart present at birth, also called congenital heart defects. Symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person. The most common symptoms:
• About two out of every three people experience chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue a few days or weeks before the attack.
• A person with angina (temporary chest pain) may begin to find it takes less activity to trigger the pain. Any change in the pattern of angina should be brought to the attention of a physician.
• During a heart attack, a person may feel pain in the middle of the chest which can spread to the back, neck, jaw or arms. The pain may also be felt only in the back, neck, jaw or arms rather than the chest. A person having a heart attack may have gas-like pain or pressure in the stomach area which is often mistaken for indigestion.
• About one out of every three people don’t feel any chest pain. Many are women, non-Caucasian, older than 75, have heart failure or diabetes or have had a stroke.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Shortness of breath, especially in older people
• Feelings of restlessness, sweatiness, anxiety
• Bluishness of the lips, hands or feet
• Heavy pounding of the heart or abnormal heart rhythms.
• Loss of consciousness
• Disorientation resembling a stroke may occur in older people
• Older people, especially women, will often take longer to request medical assistance.
Source: The Heart Foundation
Doctors said Clinard's heart was enlarged and not pumping blood correctly, Goines said.
Clinard was taken to the hospital Friday night after he asked for medical assistance while speaking with Benton County Sheriff's Office deputies. Authorities had been notified of an intoxicated man at Frisco Festival in downtown Rogers. Clinard "had a very strong odor of intoxicants on his breath and person," according to information from the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies were escorting Clinard to their vehicles when he asked for medical assistance.
"At one point he told the deputies he thought he may need medical attention, they called for an ambulance," according to a Sheriff's Office news release. "While waiting for the ambulance the Judge sat down on the curb, and one of the deputies had to brace his knee on his back to prevent him from falling over. He made a statement to the deputy, 'My wife is going to kill me.'"
Paramedics told deputies Clinard's heart rate was extremely elevated and they felt he needed to be taken to a hospital.
Deputies later went to the hospital and issued Clinard a citation for public intoxication.
Clinard has said he'll continue to oversee the operation of county government, including signing county court orders and other papers, Goines said. George Spence, county attorney, said he didn't anticipate any problems with county government operating while Clinard recovers.
"We don't have an absence of the county judge," Spence said. "He's just not going to be in the office every day."
The county has a designated chain of succession in the event the county judge is unable to perform the duties of his office, Spence said. John Sudduth, general services administrator, is first on the list, and Marshal Watson, emergency services administrator, is second, Goines said.
A county court order signed by Clinard while he was away from the county last week for an Association of Arkansas Counties meeting in Little Rock authorized Mike Crandall, accounting manager, Sudduth and Goines to sign any necessary papers in his absence. Clinard has said he will take care of any essential paperwork during his recovery, Goines said Monday.
The Quorum Court also will function normally if Clinard is unable to attend Thursday's meeting, Spence said. Spence will call the meeting to order in Clinard's absence and the justices of the peace will elect someone to preside over the meeting.
"We have to do that from time to time if he's out of town," Spence said. "There's nothing unusual about that."
It's uncertain when Clinard will return to the office on a regular basis, Goines said Monday.
NW News on 08/26/2014