Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2013 - (Page 8)

nEw Lease on Life A ccording to his wife, Stanley Macek always took very good care of his health. Though he had high blood pressure, it was well-controlled with medication. “He jogged around Towson daily at lunch, he ate right, and never smoked,” recalls Jennifer Macek. “He was an active, strong man. It was a big shock when he had a heart attack.” The couple had just returned from a cruise, and Stanley, age 79 at the time, dismissed the swelling in his legs and difficulty walking as related to his chronic back pain. The Maceks didn’t realize that a very different journey was about to begin that would take Stanley into congestive heart failure. A SuRPRiSing DiScovERy A few days later, Stanley donated blood and was startled to find out that his pulse was only 46. He called his internist, who told him to go right to the emergency room. So the Maceks went to UM-St. Joseph. He was diagnosed with sick sinus synHenry sun, MD drome, a condition in which the heart’s natural pacemaker, called the sinus node, creates erratic heart rhythms (arrhythmias) that can be too slow or have long pauses. His symptoms were classic, according to boardcertified interventional cardiologist Henry Sun, MD, and included shortness of breath and exertional sweatiness. The solution was a standard implantable pacemaker, which Stanley received in 2011. 8 Maryland’s HealtH Matters stanley Macek’s heart gets back in sync with an advanced pacemaker Later that year, Stanley’s symptoms reappeared. He returned to UM-St. Joseph for further cardiac evaluation, which included an adjustment to his pacemaker and a cardiac catheterization performed by Dr. Sun, who discovered mild heart blockages. “Mr. Macek felt better for some time after we adjusted his pacemaker,” says Dr. Sun, who kept in close contact with his patient. But in July 2012, Stanley developed worsening shortness of breath and new chest pains. He had suffered a mild heart attack, and a cardiac catheterization revealed new and significant blockages in his coronary arteries. Dr. Sun opened the blocked arteries by implanting three stents, but something more was needed. ThE ‘cADillAc’ oF DEvicES Dr. Sun consulted with board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist Brett Roberts, MD. Together, they determined that Stanley, who had worsening congestive heart failure, would benefit from a new biventricular pacemaker/defiBrett Roberts, MD brillator. “This pacemaker defibrillator gives his heart more synchronization so it pumps blood more efficiently,” explains Dr. Sun. “This is the ‘Cadillac’ of pacing devices,” says Dr. Roberts, who implanted the defibrillator. “It’s the most sophisticated and has been shown to make people live longer and feel better.” why A BivEnTRiculAR DEFiBRillAToR? “The combination of stents and this special defibrillator optimizes his heart function,” explains Dr. Roberts. “It not only paces the Download a recipe book ofgoes here withchoicespoint ww.myumms.org/useful FREE Promotional copy heart-healthy action at stjosephtowson.com/mhm http://www.stjosephtowson.com/mhm

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2013

Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2013
Contents
A Healthy Start
A Joint Effort
New Lease on Life
The Breath of Life
News and Events

Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2013