Thomas' Story - When Conditions Get Complicated, Coordination Care Saves Lives

Thomas Keyes, 71, of Lakewood suffers from congestive heart failure (CHF).  His heart problems came to light in 2004 when he had a heart attack that required quintuple bypass surgery. He also has diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, two medical conditions that are fairly common in people with CHF. They have landed Thomas in the emergency department at Ocean Medical Center quite often over the last several years.

In mid-June 2010, Thomas and his wife of 40 years, Beverly, were at their active adult community clubhouse when Thomas suddenly fainted. Beverly, a retired nurse, acted quickly and called 911. She was going to begin CPR, but his pulse was strong, so she waited for the ambulance that took him to Ocean.

Michael DeVita, D.O., an interventional cardiologist on staff at Ocean, met the couple in the hospital. Dr. DeVita admitted Thomas to the hospital and ordered an echocardiogram to assess how well Thomas' heart was functioning and an electrocardiogram to analyze the heart's electrical activity. This test indicated that the electrical activity and the heart rhythm were abnormal.

Based on these results, Dr. DeVita arranged to have Thomas transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) inserted by Charles Koo, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist.
"An ICD is designed to deliver an electrical shock to the heart when the heart rate becomes dangerously fast," explains Dr. Koo.

Adds Dr. DeVita, "In Thomas' case, this may help prevent a second heart attack. I knew the ICD was the right choice for Thomas."

Thanks to the fast, smooth transition of care by Ocean staff and to the advanced cardiovascular techniques available at Jersey Shore, Thomas was able to go home the day after his surgery. Other than keeping his defibrillator dry and avoiding driving and heavy lifting for a week, he was able to resume an active life with his wife.

"Because Thomas suffers from CHF and other chronic diseases, my husband will always need to be careful about his health," says Beverly. "But we have confidence in the physicians and staff at Ocean Medical Center and Jersey Shore and have been very pleased with the care they've provided." — Anne Marie Keevins

About the Doctors

Michael G. DeVita, D.O.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Brick | 732-840-1900

Charles H. Koo, M.D.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Ocean | 732-663-0300