It took only a few minutes on a sunny January afternoon for Kelly Remick’s life to take a jog that nearly finished her life.

It took one hour – and a critical confluence of Excellent Samaritan and crucially quick medical care – to bring that life back.

Remick was jogging near her Rochester Hills home on Jan. 11 when she grew weak, started to feel pain and struggled to breathe. She was rushed to Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, where a team of doctors performed a series of life-saving tests and procedures.

They learned Remick had suffered an aortic dissection, a rare and often fatal tear in the inner wall of her aorta. It was that hour – from the quick call of a passerby to the work of her medical team – that made her the exception.

Remick remembers that day well, and she looks back on what has happened since then with a multitude of emotions.

“It took me a couple days to really get my head around it,” said Remick, a 44-year-ancient mom of two. “And then when I realized what had happened, and what had nearly happened …”

Her heart is full of gratitude.

Literally.

‘I tried to will it away’

Remick remembers Jan. 11 as a gorgeous day.

It was a Wednesday. She had been sick with what she assumed was a cold or flu over the weekend and took advantage of the winter sunshine to get out for a run. It was shortly after noon when she left her Clair Hill Drive home on foot.

Remick described herself as a “sort of” marathon runner. She has run the Brooksie Way Half-Marathon twice. She typically ran three to five miles in a loop around her neighborhood south of Walton and east of Adams. That was her intention that January day.

She made it around the block before she realized something wasn’t right.

“I felt weak, all of a sudden,” she said. “I started to walk. Then I knew I had to sit down. Before I knew it I was seeing black spots — I felt like I was going to pass out.”

At first, Remick said, she tried to fight the feelings. She didn’t panic. “I tried to will it all away,” she said.

After a few minutes, she realized she couldn’t stop the wave of unfamiliar feelings that were taking over.

“I remember it got really silent. I was sitting on the curb. All of a sudden I saw a man walking. I waved him over. He questioned me what was incorrect, and that’s when I questioned him to call an ambulance.”

The man reached into his pocket for his cell phone. After that, Remick remembers only pieces.

“I remember feeling like I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I remember someone asking my name and I said it was Kelly. My back hurt, I kept telling everyone. I remember being in the ambulance and thinking to myself, ‘Oh, wow, I’ve never been in an ambulance before.’ “

Remick said through it all — despite the pain and the commotion — she felt cool, and she felt in control.

And then fate and doctors took over.

A life-saving hour

According to medical research, what was happening to Remick was rare. And the fact that she lived to tell her tale? Well, that’s the pleased ending.

Remick was taken by ambulance by Rochester Hills Fire and Rescue to Crittenton. Her arrival in the hospital’s emergency room set in motion a series of tests and procedures that involved at least 25 doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel.

“It’s never a single person that makes a difference, it’s always the team,” said Samer Kazziha, executive medical director for the hospital’s cardiovascular services.

Kazziha and the hospital’s award-winning Cath Lab team was alerted as soon as Remick arrived in the emergency room. To start, they diagnosed her with a large pericardial effusion, which meant she had a lot of fluid around her heart.

Doctors soon started a surgical procedure to remove the fluid, which was putting pressure on her heart. But during that surgery, they learned something more: an aortic dissection. Remick’s heart was literally bleeding from a tear in the inner wall of her aorta. According to the American Heart Association, aortic dissections are uncommon and highly lethal. They normally are seen in men, and in people ages 60 and over.

Doctors Alvise Bernabei and Frank Fazzalari performed a surgery to repair the tear.

Bernabei said a condition such as Remick’s is “typically a terminal event.”

“I believe Kelly Remick recovered due to a strong will and the coordinated medical and surgical efforts of Crittenton Hospital,” Bernabei said.

An hour had passed since Remick was first admitted to Crittenton.

The recovery

Four days later, Remick awoke. She remembers being questioned to squeeze her hand and raise her arm.

And then it was typical This-Mom-Just-Awoke-After-Four-Days thoughts.

“The first thing I wondered was whether my daughter’s teacher knew that I was in the hospital,” she said “I figured my daughter would be so worried and upset. And then I thought about work.”

Remick works from home as an IT specialist — ironically for a cardiac monitoring service.

Her husband, Dan, and her children, 11-year-ancient Austin and 9-year-ancient Camryn, were more than grateful to have their wife and mom back.

“I felt dreadful for my family, for them to have been not knowing if I was going to make it,” she said. “It made me sad.”

After 13 days, Remick was released from the hospital. She said she feels stronger every day and that she will have several follow-up appointments in the coming weeks, but that her prognosis is excellent.

After her recovery, Remick’s sister went door-to-door in the neighborhood where she had been running. She finally found the man who had called 911 that afternoon and told him that Remick was all right. The man was pleased to hear the outcome and did not want any recognition.

Lesson learned

Remick ran without any identification. She runs with an ancient MP3 player because she said she’s used to the buttons and can easily flip from FM radio to her playlists. 

In the emergency room, nurses ultimately used that MP3 player to help identify the patient they knew only as “Kelly.” On it, they found some photos of her kids, which officers from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office took to the nearest elementary school to where Remick was found. School officials helped identify Remick and reach her husband.

Remick considers it a lesson that she will share with others: Run with identification. “It was my terrible,” she said.

She also considers it part of the series of events that helped save her on that January day.

“I’m so grateful,” she said. “There’s a reason for everything. I firmly believe that. More than anything, the community support has been overwhelming. Crittenton was wonderful; the staff there was incredible. Everyone has been so sweet and generous, and that nearly dominates any other feelings I have right now.”

February is Ameican Heart Month. Crittenton Hospital is hosting a third annual Cardiovascular Symposium from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The free symposium will address a wide variety of topics related to the pathophysiology and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. To register, visit crittenton.com/classes.

Article source: http://rochester.patch.com/articles/here-s-how-one-crucial-hour-saved-rochester-hills-jogger-s-life

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White Plains Hospital Nurses gave out kisses—the chocolate kind—at the hospital’s heart health educational honest to celebrate Wear Read Day and bring awareness to the number one cause of death in women: heart disease. 

“As nurses in health care we fight heart disease,” said Leigh Anne McMahon, the vice president of nursing administration. “We see the debilitating effects of heart disease every single day—so as advocates for our patients, part of our role is education before they have to come into the hospital and we have to deal with that disease.” 

“This is a preventable disease.” 

The American Heart Association says cardiovascular disease kills more women than all cancers combined, and is caused when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries, making it more hard for blood to flow, making a risk for a heart attack or stroke. Read more about Wear Red Day and the National Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign at goredforwomen.org. 

Over at the kissing booth—nurses gave out Hershey’s dark chocolate Kisses, rich in antioxidants, to those who donated to the White Plains Hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk Team. The hospital also sold raffle tickets for prizes, pins, vests and t-shirts to raise money for the team.

“They [chocolate candies] make you pleased,” said Christine Coons, of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, which serves patients after they leave the hospital’s care. “A pleased heart is a healthy heart.”

This doesn’t mean it is healthy to spluge on chocolate. Hospital staff at the “Question a Nurse,” booth said the key to having a pleased and healthy heart is adjust your lifestyle to include exercise, a healthy diet and coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Poor diet, lack of exercise and stress are main causes of cardiovascular diease.

The “Question the Pharmacist” booth was on hand to answer questions about medication and the effects of multiple medications when taken together. The event also included information on healthy diets, the symptoms and causes of heart disease, as well as blood pressure screenings.

“It’s vital that women, who are the caretakers for the family, are more aware of their own health—then they can take care of people around them,” said Jennifer Shannon, nurse manager in the cardiac care unit.  

The hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, which opened two years ago and is nicknamed the “cath lab,” also had its own table set up at the honest. 

“It’s a way to treat heart disease right here at White Plains Hospital, “said McMahon. “People with a heart attack and get to the cath lab and prevent hurt to their heart within a few hours—it’s really been such a wonderful thing for us.”

According to Margaret Walotsky, a cath lab nurse who recently attended the Cardiovascular Research’s Foundation’s summit in December, said 60 percent of women aren’t aware of their risk of cardiovascular disease, and those numbers increase when it comes to Black and Latina women.

Walotsky said it’s vital to get women to be aware of the symptoms of heart disease early on, as women are more likely to hold off caring for themselves. She said a poll revealved that 50 percent of women said they would drive themselves to the hospital, rather than calling an ambulance, or wait longer if they felt heart attack symptoms.

Click here to watch actress/director Elizabeth Banks’ hilarious take on this in her video “Just a Small Heart Attack.” 

According to Walotsky, the classic male heart attack symptoms, such as sudden and distinctive chest pains, are different in women and include back pain, shortness of breath, fatigue. She said that more women need to be involved in clinical trials to develop an understanding on how heart disease specifically affects women, as women make up about 20 percent of the participation in clinical trials.

Salon Diva’s booth was selling $10 hair extensions with the funds going to the hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk team. For the entire Go Red! month they will offer 10 percent off all services to hospitals employees and volunteers. That 10 percent will go back to the White Plains Hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk team. 

“The beauty business is a women oriented business,” said Nadine Pitaro of Salon Diva, at 79 Mamaroneck Ave.

Pitaro said the salon often contributes to women’s causes. The hospital reached out to Salon Diva to do the red extensions after the salon did pink hair extensions during breast cancer awareness month. 

On Monday, Feb. 6 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Melting Pot, 30 Mamaroneck Avenue, and Salon Diva will be hosting a special FONDUE-Raiser to raise money for the Go Red campaign, click here for details. 

“It’s vital that we raise awareness about heart health in our hospital community, as well as outside the community,” said Jon Schandler, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer. 

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Article source: http://whiteplains.patch.com/articles/white-plains-hospital-goes-red-for-women-s-heart-health

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Take care of the ones you like this February by paying special attention to their (and your own) heart health. 

Dr. Tim Schloss, co-director of cardiovascular services at SSM Heart Institute at St. Clare Health Center, said that specializing in cardiology is unique because he has the ability to take care of patients in the long-term, yet also use procedures immediately in the small-term if necessary.

In fact, the first 90 minutes from the time a possible heart attack patient enters the hospital are the most critical.

“A heart attack occurs because one of the vessels that supplies the heart with blood becomes blocked with a blood clot,” Schloss said. “The blood can’t get to that area of the heart and there’s no oxygen—then if it’s without oxygen for a long amount of time that cell with die. If you get the artery open rapidly that limits the amount of heart cells that may die.”  

SSM Health Care hospitals report that every heart attack patient who came into one of their hospitals in 2011 had his or her blocked heart arteries opened in fewer than those critical 90 minutes from the time of hospital arrival. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology set the 90-minute standard for the deadliest type of heart attack—an ST-elevated myocardial infarction.

Even though the official clock starts the minute a patient enters the emergency room and stops when the cardiologist successfully inflates a balloon inside the blocked artery, emergency personnel (EMS) are trained to work with hospital staff even before a patient hits emergency room doors.

The SSM Heart Institute made new protocols by working with the local EMS teams to train their staff to properly identify signs of a blocked artery.

“When a patient has chest pain, what they would normally do is call 911 and then EMS arrives at the door and evaluates them,” Schloss said. “With the help of a first responder we can determine if it could be a heart attack.”

EMS personnel are able to directly call the SSM cardiac catheterization (cath) labs from the field and speak with an expert while the patient is still in transit. The team at the hospital is then mobilized and ready to take the patient straight to the cath lab and bypass an evaluation in the emergency room. 

“We can be one step ahead and have our team assembled and ready for when the patient arrives,” Schloss said.

Schloss said that it’s hard to pinpoint warning signs those at home can look for because heart attacks are different in everyone. One can feel pressure; discomfort in the chest; neck or arm; shortness of breath or feeling sweaty.

To boost heart health, Schloss said that the most vital things people can do is avoid tobacco, keep an active lifestyle, keep a excellent height to weight ratio, and check in with your doctor to make sure you aren’t a high risk factor for high blood pressure and diabetes.

“It’s never too early to start considering our heart health. Our eating habits are established with our children—it’s vital for parents to keep in mind that heart health is very vital and to try to avoid heart problems in the future,” he said. “The best thing about being a cardiologist is the sense of really being able to help someone when they need it, the ability to affect them when they are vulnerable and to be able to follow them for years and to keep them healthy.”

SSM Heart Institute services are available at five SSM hospitals located in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. For more information, visit www.ssmhealth.com/heart.

Article source: http://sunsethills-crestwood.patch.com/articles/american-heart-month-is-perfect-time-for-prevention

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The Northeast Regional Medical Center unveiled its newest multi-million dollar expansion to its cardiac services in its new catheterization lab to help doctors in making diagnostic decisions about a patient’s heart health.

The $1.5 million cath lab is in addition to another $1.5 million for the expansion and renovation of the cardiac services unit, to bring the two-year total of investment in the hospital to $11 million, including the Ob/Gyn and third and fourth floor renovations, said NRMC CEO Eric Barber.

“This,” he said, sweeping his arms around the newly renovated cardiac care unit and specifically at the cath lab, “represents a year’s work.”

He said the new lab will provide a higher level of accessibility and convenience for local doctors when making a diagnosis of heart problems.

The new cath lab, a Phillips FD 20, is used to obtain images of the heart and locate blockages using an intravenous dye as well as imaging technology.

“It’s incredible,” said RN Scott Baker, who has worked in the cardiac unit for the past five years. “This is the gold standard. It’s like going to a smart phone.”

Baker said in addition to the larger monitor used to examine the heart, the new cath lab allows for a quicker diagnosis and less IV dye and exposure to radiation.

The new cath lab, located next to the cardiologists’ offices and the CT scanner, will also allow for quicker diagnosis and potentially life-saving treatment.

“Time is critical when treating heart attack patients,” said Dr. Joshua Valtos, with the cath lab, in a press release. “Having the equipment we need here in Kirksville to diagnose and in some cases treat patients at an earlier point in their heart attacks saves lives.”

The cath lab was installed about two months ago and provided diagnostic services for more than 30 patients in January.
It joins extensive remodeling on the Ob/Gyn floor, patient rooms and overall renovation.

“We’ve got doctors in Columbia who are jealous” of the cath lab, Barber said. “That was our goal.”

Article source: http://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.com/features/x458333743/Northeast-Regional-Medical-Center-unveils-multi-million-dollar-cardiac-cath-lab

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Manama: Feb. 1 — (BNA) The King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) has recently bought latest state-of-the-art medical equipment thanks to the kind patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Supreme Commander, and this reflects commitment of the wise leadership to the provision of world-class medical services thus making public health services easily accessible and readily available to all Bahraini citizens.
The hospital’s departments have been provided with advanced technological equipment, for instance, PET-CT Scan, MRI, Ultrasonic mammogram, Fluoroscope, BMD, Cath.-Lab, Ret.com 3, etc.

BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Defense Affairs Lt-General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, BDF Chief-of-Staff Major-General Shaikh Duaij bin Salman Al Khalifa are closely following up all matters pertaining to KHUH and committed to providing the hospital with well-trained, highly-qualified medical staff and topnotch medical equipment. (IY/1)

Article source: http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/492073

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AngioDynamics said Tuesday it would buy privately held Navilyst Medical from owners Avista Capital Partners in a mixed cash and stock deal valued at $372 million. The transaction is expected to close, pending customary closing conditions, by the end of May.

Albany, N.Y.-based AngioDynamics said it wanted Navilyst to expand its presence in the cath lab and vascular access sectors. Navilyst, headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., makes catheters, vascular access equipment and the NAMIC line of fluid management products.

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“NAMIC provides entrée for AngioDynamics’ peripheral vascular portfolio in catheterization labs and with interventional cardiologists,” the company said in a press release.

AngioDynamics said it will pay for the deal and related transaction costs with $97 million in cash on hand and a $150 million financing facility from J.P. Morgan, Bank of America and KeyBank National Association. The company will also give Avista 9.5 million shares of stock, valued at $14.20 per share as of Monday’s close. Avista will also gain two new seats on AngioDynamics’ board, the company said.

AngioDynamics expects the deal to be accretive to sales, operating income and earnings per share in fiscal 2013. Navilyst, which Avista bought from Boston Scientific in 2008, had sales of $149 million last year, AngioDynamics said.

Last week, AngioDynamics, which makes surgical, oncological and vascular access equipment, announced a temporary hold on U.S. shipments of its NanoKnife ablation system because of a software recall.

Article source: http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/17964/

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The Kingwood Medical Center is adding emergency and observation facilities in hopes to provide more localized services, validate admissions and streamline the admission process.

The hospital expects to open its free-standing “HealthOne 24-Hour Emergency Care” facility in mid-April.

HCA Healthcare marketing representative Kim Mathes said the facility will handle any emergency and will be capable of stabilizing patients who may need transportation to a hospital for surgery or admission.

The $4.05 million HealthOne facility is located at 9711 North Sam Houston Parkway East between Wilson and John Ralston roads and near the Fall Creek subdivision.

“This is a medical trend, building free-standing emergency facilities. They can help eliminate the typically long waits at hospital ERs,” HCA Healthcare media specialist Kris Muller said.

More services

The 10,000-square-foot facility will house an outpatient radiology department to include CAT scan, X-ray and ultra-sound services.

“It will provide the same standard of care as the hospital emergency room and you will see the same doctors as you would at Kingwood Medical Center. The only difference, it is in your neighborhood,” Muller said.

Physicians from Kingwood Medical Center will be on a rotation schedule to work at the HealthOne facility.

Mathes said patients needing surgery or hospital admission will be transported to the place of their choosing. In order to streamline the admission process, but, “If you choose to be sent to Kingwood Medical Center it will be a direct admission,” she said.

In addition to the HealthOne facility is the creation of a 12-bed observation unit adjacent to the hospital’s current emergency room. The $3.6 million addition will enable doctors to observe patients for up to 24 hours and thereby determine if they need admission or can be sent home.

“There are occasions when it’s questionable if admission is warranted but the doctor may not want to send a patient home yet. This will enable him to watch them for a longer period and provides a more efficient way to treat patients,” Muller said.

Streamlined effort

She said the observation unit will provide doctors the opportunity to get needed lab work and tests done as well.

The observation unit is slated to open this month.

The Kingwood Medical Center is already recognized by Texas as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and is adding a fourth catheterization laboratory to its existing cath lab suite within the hospital.

“This new cath lab will have a distinctly neurological focus. Its focus will include providing angiograms for stroke patients,” Muller said.

In addition to strokes, doctors will be equipped to deal with aneurisms, blockages and broken blood vessels. Muller said the new lab will provide services on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis.

Cath labs are typically examination rooms which house diagnostic imaging equipment to support the catheterization procedure. Physicians insert catheters, generally through the femoral artery or radial artery, allowing them to use imaging or surgical instruments inside the body. This is done to provide diagnostic or surgical treatment to the heart or brain.

“Kingwood has an awesome neurology program. We work hard to bring in doctors who are recognized experts and are exceptionally talented,” Muller said.

The $7.3 million lab should open this summer.

“As a resident and also president of the chamber, I reckon it is awesome to see the increased level of care these expansions will bring to the community,” said Kingwood Chamber of Commerce President Sparky Nolan.

Room for growth

He said the growth of the medical services sector of the Kingwood economy was a bright spot for the region.

“Increasing the level of medical care moves the economy forward in a positive way. The hospital has done the surveys and studies and sees the potential for added profit and increased level of care,” Nolan said.

He also said a excellent part of the Kingwood population is aging. As a result, the new cath lab will be a fantastic addition to the medical services sector, he said.

Kingwood Medical Center is a 267-bed facility which also offers 24-hour emergency services and an on-site minor emergency clinic as well as an accredited sleep disorder center and neonatal, women’s and pediatric services.

Expansion and construction projects over the past two years have included opening the satellite Atascocita imaging center in October 2010 and completion in January 2011 of two floors of a $25.5 million, 54,000 square foot expansion of the medical center that was started in January 2010.

Mark Quick is a freelance writer and can be reached at markquick@windstream.net

Article source: http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy-news/article/Hospital-growth-projects-on-track-for-2012-2873735.php

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Glenwood’s door to balloon time (measured from the time the patient enters the hospital, to the time the balloon is inflated in the coronary artery) for STEMI patients continue to be under 90 minutes (the national benchmark), with some less than 60 minutes. Pafford AIR ONE can have patients from most rural hospitals in North Louisiana directly to the GRMC Cath Lab in less than 90 minutes. Patients that cannot reach PCI in time will be delivered “clot busting” drugs by the Pafford AIR ONE Flight Medic and Nurse.

Ron Elder, CEO at Glenwood Regional Medical Center, said, “This partnership ensures that patients with chest pain who need advanced care in a cardiac catherization lab are taken care of as safely and quickly as possible. The STEMI service along with our Level III Chest Pain Center, state-of-the-art cardiac cauterization labs and Hybrid OR benefits the citizens of Northeast Louisiana and will save lives. Our cardiac care professionals, from cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons to operating rooms technicians offer the quality of care you’ve come to expect from Glenwood.”

“Our goal is to transport as quickly and safely as possible so that as a team we can beat the national benchmark for door to balloon time and give the patient their best chance of survival,” said Keith Carter, Program Director of Pafford AIR ONE. “AIR ONE’s exclusive protocols with Glenwood Cardiology can save lives.”

DOOR TO BALLOON TIME

Before the STEMI Program was place into place, only cardiologists could activate the cath lab. If someone came into the ER with chest pain, they would get triaged and worked up by a nurse. An ECG would be performed and presented to an ER doctor for evaluation. If he or she thought the patient was having a STEMI, they would call a
cardiologist to confirm. If a STEMI was verified, then the cardiologist would be called in and the cath lab would be activated.

Now Pafford can call a Glenwood ER doctor and question for field activation by following a STEMI Flow Chart protocol. With earlier activations, door-to-balloon times have drastically decreased. The difference is improved performance times, and most importantly, improved outcomes.

For more information about Glenwood’s emergency services and fully accredited Level III Chest Pain Center call 1-877-726-WELL or visit www.GRMC.com.

Article source: http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20120131/DELTASTYLE06/120131010

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Excela Health System has become the first hospital in Pennsylvania to receive accreditation from the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence Program.

The hospital is the first in Pennsylvania to seek accreditation and the fifth in the nation to receive it. Excela did so after disclosing last year that about 200 patients may have received unnecessary coronary stent implants.

“Over the last eight months the entire cath lab staff here at Excela has worked diligently to assess where we stand and to reorganize the cath lab from the ground up with the focus of providing the safest, highest quality, evidence-based care possible,” said Howard P. Grill, medical director of Excela’s cardiac cath lab.

The two-year accreditation is sponsored by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.

It involves a comprehensive application followed by a site visit from expert reviewers who assess the facility for predetermined benchmarks.

Placement of unnecessary stents has become an issue nationwide, with accusations that doctors use them when they are not needed because such procedures are highly profitable.

There are at least 22 pending lawsuits against Excela and the doctors involved from patients who received stents.

The two doctors accused of placing the questionable stents are no longer on the medical staff.

Excela Health also announced this morning that it had brought 11 new cardiologists on staff in the last 18 months.

Article source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205883-100.stm

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