Complaining of severe chest pain, Jim called for his wife, who raced to his side. As a nurse, “I immediately went into survival mode,” recalls Lorinda, who started CPR as Alura called 9-1-1.
First responders arrived, attempting – unsuccessfully – to revive Jim. After more than an hour, the paramedics finally stabilized him and rushed to the AHSH emergency room. However, Jim remained unresponsive. Lorinda knew his chance for recovery dwindled with every passing moment. She asked for 10 more minutes before she’d be forced to make the dreaded decision about her husband’s future. Then, in those final moments, there was hope: Jim became responsive enough to be transferred to the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab. Cardiologists Jeong Park, MD and Monica Divakaruni, MD placed stents and a balloon pump, and the skilled Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team took over.
The next several hours were critical. “When Jim opened his eyes, both my daughter and I burst into tears. He recognized us!” Lorinda remembers. “It was a huge emotional release to know he was still in there.”
Jim was transferred to the Heart and Vascular Unit, where he also immediately began to receive rehabilitation services to help him with any memory loss.
Thanks to the stellar AHSH clinical team, Jim transitioned to a care center just two weeks after his near-death experience. He was sent home only a few weeks later, and is now recovering – both physically and mentally – thanks to ongoing care from the rehabilitation team and cardiac electrophysiologist Dan Kaiser, MD. Now, several months later, the Smiths continue to reflect on how Jim’s life was saved due to the extraordinary care provided at their community hospital. “There are not enough words to describe my gratitude,” Lorinda shares. “I feel blessed to be close to such a great hospital. I don’t know if my husband would have received this level of care anywhere else”.