On the evening of May 23, 2010, Victor was soaking in the hot tub of his Neptune home to relieve chronic back pain — the result of his days as a U.S. Air Force medic in the 1960s. But he started having shortness of breath and chest pain.
He told his wife, Yvonne, a certified CPR educator. She wasted no time getting him to the car and taking him to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
By the time they arrived, Victor was unconscious. That's when the emergency medicine team at Jersey Shore swung into action. They got Victor out of the car quickly and started performing CPR on the ground.
"We recognized that we couldn't waste a second bringing him inside," says Gary Popovetsky, D.O., a board certified emergency medicine physician. "We continued compressions and rescue breathing until a stretcher arrived."
At that time, Gina Pharo, R.N.; T.J. Hampton, R.N.; and Dr. Popovetsky lifted Victor onto the stretcher and continued CPR as he was brought into the hospital.
Victor had had a heart attack. "Most people don't make it in that situation," says Victor. "It's a testimony to their training and confidence that I'm here."
After Victor was admitted, one of his treatments was hypothermia protocol, a lifesaving treatment offered at Jersey Shore, which cooled his body and helped preserve brain function after his heart attack and cardiac arrest.
Then Rita Watson, M.D. , a board certified cardiologist at Jersey Shore, removed the clot that was blocking the artery and performed an emergency angioplasty, inserting a stent to keep the passage open.
"The time it takes to open the arteries with this procedure is a critical factor in the outcome of the patient," explains Dr. Watson. "Our emergency and cardiology teams are extraordinarily experienced and efficient."
Today, Victor's prognosis is great. "We manage his medications for ongoing treatment, but with cardiac rehab, Victor can expect to resume all of his pre-episode activities," says Michael Wappel, M.D., a board certified cardiologist at Jersey Shore.
Victor is back to enjoying walks on the boardwalk with his wife again. — Ryan Younger
About the Doctors
Gary Popovetsky, D.O.Board certified in Emergency Medicine
Neptune | 732-776-4510
Michael A. Wappel, M.D.
Board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases
Long Branch | 732-222-5143
Rita M. Watson, M.D.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Ocean | 732-663-0300
