Dana Smith didn’t have a history of heart trouble, but the 59-year-old had suffered from frequent heartburn for years. He had gotten to be a pro at relieving the discomfort, but the nagging chest pain he woke to in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, 2014 would prove to be different.
“I got up and took an aspirin and a big gulp of water, like I would usually do,” Dana remembered. “The pain went away and then came right back when I laid down again. I got up to sit and began sweating and having chills all at the same time. It crossed my mind that this might be something other than heartburn, but the symptoms weren’t like what I had heard you can experience with heart issues.”
Critical Care at a Critical Time
Within moments after arriving in the Emergency Room at Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville, Dana got some alarming news from the doctor: “You’re having a heart attack and we need to CareFlite® you to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.” Before he made it to Dallas, he went into cardiac arrest from a very dangerous heart rhythm caused by his heart attack. The medical team at Hunt Regional would need to start performing CPR and defibrillate Dana nine times.
Parin Parikh, M.D., FACC Cardiologist, Presbyterian Heart & Vascular Group
After stabilizing him, he was immediately transferred via helicopter directly to the cutting edge cardiac catheterization lab inside Texas Health Dallas, cardiologist on the medical staff, Parin Parikh, M.D. of Presbyterian Heart & Vascular Group a Texas Health Physicians Group practice, and a skilled team of nurses and technicians were waiting for him to arrive to perform an emergent cardiac catheterization procedure in the middle of the night. They were able to perform a minimally invasive stent procedure, and able to restore blood flow to a heart artery that was 100 percent blocked that was causing his heart attack and cardiac arrest. The cath lab has interventional cardiologists and a chest pain team available 24 hours a day to accept critical heart patients from across North Texas. The goal with treatment is to get a blocked artery open as quickly as possible. The rapid response worked well for Dana and all of his vital signs returned to normal soon after the procedure.
In the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Dana later learned that he had suffered what is known as a STEMI and sudden cardiac arrest. STEMI is an often deadly type of heart attack caused by a prolonged period of blocked blood supply that affects a large area of the heart. Just as the name implies, sudden cardiac arrest is an immediate loss of heart function.
Right Place, Right People
“Mr. Smith was very fortunate to have suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest and lived to talk about it,” said clinical nurse specialist Stephanie Koepke, who manages the Chest Pain Program at Texas Health Dallas. “If he had gone into cardiac arrest outside the hospital, the outcome could have been very different.”
“We continually strive to raise the bar within Texas Health for how quickly heart attack patients are transported and treated. We worked closely with the medical team at Hunt Regional to set up protocols for swift transitions to Dallas and prompt care upon arrival. In the most critical three hours of his fight, at least 15 healthcare providers between Greenville and Dallas worked to keep Mr. Smith alive. Time is of the essence in treating heart attack patients. The more quickly we can do so, the lower the potential damage to the heart muscle and greater the chance of long-term survival. To have a patient walk out of the hospital neurologically intact and return home immediately, not having to go to a long-term care or rehab facility, is a rarity. This demonstrates the talent and speed of our entire STEMI team from Greenville to Dallas. Mr. Smith’s is an amazing story of success,” she added.
After just two days in the hospital, Dana was able to return home fitted with a mobile defibrillator that helps monitor his heart rhythm. Through ongoing cardiac rehabilitation and support from Dr. Parikh, Dana is working to retrain his heart muscle to work properly. He is so determined to improve his quality of life that he even quit smoking as a result of the ordeal.
“I am forever grateful to the nurses and doctors at Texas Health Dallas,” Dana said. “It was evident that they were knowledgeable and were truly looking out for my well-being. I realize that without their care, I probably would not be here.”
Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees of the hospital or Texas Health Resources.