The most important thing that can be done is to diagnose them with PTSD in the first place.  PTSD is rarely diagnosed in these scenarios, which prevents practitioners from providing trauma-informed care.   This can be done by assessing their symptoms during the first encounter.

How to mitigate the effects of PTSD on patients with chronic illnesses

Aside from being psychologically detrimental to the patient, PTSD in those with chronic illnesses can lead to nonadherence to treatment plans and, perhaps most vitally, to a patient not seeking medical help in time to perform life-saving interventions.

Grand Valley State University

When chronic illness has a sudden onset, like in the case of a heart attack, it is possible for PTSD or PTSD-adjacent symptoms to occur.  This is due in part to the experience of cumulative trauma during onset or an episode of chronic illness.  

Chronic illness and PTSD

Alanzo, A. A. (2000). The experience of chronic illness and post-traumatic stress disorder: the consequences of cumulative adversity. Social Science & Medicine, 50, 1475-1484.

The experience of chronic illness and post-traumatic stress
disorder: the consequences of cumulative adversity

Cumulative trauma occurs when more than one traumatic event happens to an individual, which leads to a cumulative effect, making the onset of PTSD more likely.  The same concept applies to pre-existing co-morbid mental illnesses such as depression; the presence of these on top of a traumatic event make PTSD much more likely to occur. 

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