Hidden danger of vaping explained as device causes Below Deck’s Fraser Olender to suffer heart attack

Below Deck star Fraser Olender has revealed a little-known danger of vaping after the habit led to him suffering a life-threatening heart attack.

The reality star, 33, shared the news on Friday, when he posted a series of pictures to Instagram charting his experience in hospital, alongside a health update which revealed the extent of his illness.

“I was rushed to hospital due to severe chest pains and difficulties breathing,” Olender wrote in the caption, before explaining that he had been seeing specialists in London for several weeks as he recovered.

“To keep it simple — I had vape poisoning, (an E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)) and I have never experienced fear or pain like it.”

The condition caused a coronary artery vasospasm, which he described as 'the arteries supplying blood to my heart suddenly clamped down'.

"That spasm reduced blood flow enough to cause an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), better known as a heart attack — not because of a blockage, but because my heart wasn’t getting enough oxygen during the spasm," Olender continued.

Olender then revealed why he was sharing the news with fans, as he added: “I’m sharing this because I never realised something like this could happen. If this experience can help even one person rethink vaping, it’s worth telling.”

Detailing just how terrifying the experience was, he revealed the debilitating pain he suffered as well as just how close he had come to death.

“The pain I endured for 24 hours was inexplicable, 2 rounds of morphine didn’t touch the sides and eventually had to be given the strongest pain relief legal to administer in ER — and that only brought my pain from a 10 to a 7,” he wrote.

“I haven’t touched a vape since this happened and never will.”

Reflecting on how the ordeal had made him quit vaping for good, Olender said he hoped sharing his story would help others to quit the habit too.

“I could have died for the sake of something so ridiculously stupid, so please do yourselves a favour and give it up too — cold turkey. We do not know enough about these horrific things but I can tell you one thing; that was NOT cute, not even for the plot.”

What is an E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury?

EVALI was first recorded as a condition back in 2019 and is a serious respiratory illness caused by vaping.

According to the American Lung Association, common symptoms associated with the condition include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, and fever, but around 50 percent of all cases are sufficiently severe to require emergency admission to intensive care units.

Treatment may include supportive oxygenation, medication such as antibiotics or antivirals to fight infection and corticosteroids to help reduce inflammation in the lungs.