The morning began like any other. Boguslaw “Bob” Iskra, of Elmwood Park, was hard at work on a carpentry job in Chicago when the burning sensation started in his chest. He had felt the discomfort on and off over the last few years but dismissed it as part of daily living.
As the day wore on, the burning sensation continued, more severe than usual. Bob felt faint and then briefly passed out.
At just 50 years old, Bob was suffering a heart attack. Rushed by paramedics to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital’s emergency department, it would take several electrical shocks with the defibrillator to revive him. “Bob was clinically dead, and we brought him back to life,” said cardiologist John Bajgrowicz, MD, chair of cardiology at Gottlieb.
In less than 60 minutes, Bob was diagnosed with a heart attack, resuscitated from clinical death, underwent an emergency procedure to reopen his artery, and was on the road to making a full recovery.
Gottlieb follows the cardiac guidelines instituted by the American Heart Association (AHA), which recommends“door-to-balloon” heart treatment in less than 90 minutes, for optimal results. “The faster you get into that blocked artery, the more heart muscle you save and the more completely the patient recovers,” said Dr. Bajgrowicz.
Here’s how it worked in Bob’s case. In the Gottlieb emergency depar tment (ED), the nurse first administered anelectrocardiogram (EKG), the standard procedure for anyone complaining of chest pain. The EKG showed that Bob was in the throes of a heart attack.
The ED doctor called a cardiac code that instantly summons the hospital’s cardiac-response team to the ED. This fast action set in motion the AHA program recommendation of “door-to-balloon” care in less than 90 minutes.
Bob suddenly went into full cardiac arrest, and his heart stopped altogether. Dr. Bajgrowicz grabbed the defibrillator to deploy electrical waves into Bob’s body. This decisive step jump-started Bob’s heart and established a regular rhythm.
After resuscitation, Bob was taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory, where Dr. Bajgrowicz performed emergency angioplasty. “Bob’s right artery was 100 percent blocked,” he said. A catheter was threaded up Bob’s thigh through anartery and into the blocked area of the heart. A balloon was inflated to clear the blockage, allowing the blood to start flowing through the reopened artery. A permanent stent, made of mesh wire, was inserted to help prevent the artery
from collapsing. Bob stayed in the hospital for two days, where he was closely monitored and then returned home to continue recuperating.
“Bob is a relatively young man at 50 and has no family history of coronary disease,” said Dr. Bajgrowicz. “However, a 30-year, one pack a day cigarette habit and an unhealthy diet had taken its toll.”
Now, the man who rarely went to the doctor considers Dr. Bajgrowicz his best counsel. “I stopped smoking and lost 28 pounds,” he said. “And I will live to see my eight year old grow up.”
Gottlieb’s cardiac care program has received the American Heart Association’s Silver Performance Achievement award. And now that Gottlieb is part of Loyola University Health System, patients have access to Loyola’s nationally recognized center of excellence for heart and vascular care. Loyola is the only Illinois hospital to be named to a 2008 list of the nation’s top 30 teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs.
Where to Learn More
Go to www.GottliebHospital.org for more heart information.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
