A longtime athlete, Chris is a black belt in karate, moderately active, and in good health overall. But he's also about 30 pounds overweight, which caused him to develop high cholesterol and intermittent high blood pressure.
While working on a home renovation project on December 15, Chris started experiencing severe chest pain and shortness of breath. He tried to collect himself through meditative deep breathing, but within minutes an overwhelming feeling of nausea and vertigo came over him.
He knew he needed medical attention and called his friend Paul Harrington. Paul arrived in minutes and rushed Chris to the emergency department (ED) at Riverview.
A Quick Diagnosis
As Chris entered the ED, he immediately let the medical staff know he was in cardiac distress. "Before I knew it, I was whisked away to a treatment room," he says. "A swarm of nurses descended upon me, and within moments they were performing lifesaving procedures."
He particularly remembers Jamie Higgins, R.N., who he says was instrumental in decreasing his anxiety level by talking with him and reassuring him that he was in good hands.
After he was stabilized, Chris was taken up to Riverview's recently revitalized cardiac catheterization lab. Aristotelis Vlahos, M.D., co-director of the primary angioplasty program at Riverview, performed an angioplasty to improve blood flow to the heart. He placed two stents in the artery on the left side of Chris' heart to keep it open.
There was also a blockage on the right side of his heart, but opening it at the same time would have been too risky. "A delay in fixing the second blockage is preferred following an unstable event such as Chris had," says Dr. Vlahos.
The left side of Chris' heart presented the true emergency, so that procedure took priority. "We've been performing emergency stent procedures at Riverview since 2004," explains Dr. Vlahos. "It's the optimal way to treat the type of heart attack that Chris was having."
After the successful procedure, Chris spent three nights in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). While in the ICU, Chris met Arthur O'Keefe, M.D., a clinical cardiologist who guided him through his recovery.
Much to his delight, Chris was discharged on December 19, only four days after being admitted.
Trying a Clinical Trial
After about a month and several follow-up visits to Dr. Vlahos' office, Chris decided to participate in a clinical trial. "The C-port trial is a study to evaluate the safety of performing stent procedures at nonsurgical hospitals," explains Dr. Vlahos. "The characteristics of Chris' second blockage allowed his participation."
He was admitted to Riverview on January 13 to have his second cardiac procedure done at the catheterization lab as part of the clinical trial.
Upon entering the lab, Chris was glad to see so many familiar faces. Dr. Vlahos discussed the procedure with Chris and what to expect from it. Another stent was successfully inserted into an artery on the right side of Chris' heart, and he was discharged the following day.
Getting Back in Shape
Then it was time to begin cardiac rehabilitation. "Cardiac rehab gives patients the structure and motivation they need to begin a gradual exercise regimen and teaches them what not to do early on," explains Dr. Vlahos.
Chris spent 12 weeks in cardiac rehab at Riverview. Today he is looking forward to getting back into karate and finally finishing the renovation project on his home.
"The heart attack was the most terrifying event in my life, and through it I developed a continued faith and trust in Riverview and its staff," Chris says. "I was continually astounded at the cohesive teamwork of the staff at the hospital, and I experienced the staff's commitment to providing the highest caliber of customer care and service." — Tom Paolella
About the Doctor
Aristotelis E. Vlahos, M.D.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Interventional Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Tinton Falls | 732-741-7400
