Open-heart program doing well
By BRETT DUNLAP, bdunlap@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG - The St. Joseph's Hospital open-heart program is going strong, one beat at a time.
The hospital marked the fifth anniversary of its first open-heart surgical unit on April 5.
"As we celebrate the five-year anniversary of offering open-heart and angioplasty services in the Mid-Ohio Valley, we are honored to have touched the lives of so many families," said St. Joseph's Hospital CEO Jack Julius. "Because we are the only hospital in the Mid-Ohio Valley that provides both angioplasty and open-heart surgery, patients having a heart attack or blockage have had access to the most advanced cardiac services right here at our community's heart hospital."
The first procedure was on Doris Cantwell of Cairo. Surgeons performed four other open-heart procedures that week.
Before St. Joseph's Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit opened, patients who required heart surgery had to travel elsewhere, such as Charleston, Morgantown, Cleveland or Columbus.
Those who have had procedures done at St. Joseph's liked the professionalism of the doctors and the hospital staff, the quality of care throughout the whole process and the fact it was done locally so loved ones could be close by.
Ray Pyles of North Hills, who works for Wood County Schools as the director of Adult Basic Education, had an episode at Parkersburg South High School last May. He had CPR performed first by an ROTC student, then nurses and others worked on him and he was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital.
He had a catheterization, open-heart bypass surgery and had an cardiac defibrillator implanted. He completed Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation and is continuing his exercise program in Phase 3 at the hospital.
''I was in the hospital for seven days before I had my surgery,'' Pyles said. ''I had four bypasses and I can't say enough about my doctors and the hospital," Pyles said. ''I had a number of doctors working on me, but they all seemed to know what the game plan was, all knew what each other was doing and it was truly an example of teamwork.''
When he was first told he was going to need heart surgery, he gave it a lot of thought to going to another facility in one of the larger cities as family members have had surgeries done at the Cleveland Clinic and at facilities in Columbus.
''I put all of these things in my mind and something in my mind went 'Ray, stay here,'" he said. ''I told myself that I would stay here. A priest came in the day before my surgery and said 'Ray, don't you worry, you are going to be OK' and those words stayed with me.''
He was in the ICU unit for more than 10 days, then put in a step down unit for a couple of days and sent to HealthSouth for a couple of weeks for rehabilitation. He was surprised by how little pain he had during his recovery. He also did not have the added expense of having to travel regularly somewhere for additional visits and rehabilitation.
Pyles' wife, Norita, said the doctors were regularly checking up on her husband's progress, even in the middle of the night.
If he was in Cleveland or somewhere else, he would not have been able to have the number of visitors he had there supporting him in his recovery. His wife was at the hospital regularly with him which helped keep his spirits up.
''I would tell anyone (having a heart procedure) to give serious consideration to staying here in Parkersburg,'' he said.
In July 2008, local resident Ben Cook went to a local emergency room complaining of chest pain. He was transported directly to the catheterization lab at St. Joseph's Hospital.
He had angioplasty performed to open a blockage in the left anterior descending artery and two stents placed.
The LAD blockage is called the widowmaker, a blockage that can lead to a heart attack. That's what was believed to have killed NBC broadcaster Tim Russert.
Cook said if it was not for the quick response of the hospital staff, he doubts he would still be alive today.
''The doctors were waiting at St. Joseph's with their surgical gear,'' he said. ''They started very quickly.''
Because of the timing and quick response, Cook had very little actual damage to his heart.
Cook always believed that if he had heart problems he would have it treated in Charleston or somewhere else.
''That was not an option,'' he said, adding he got the feeling from the medical staff that time was of the essence and they needed to act immediately.
''Everything worked out,'' he said. ''I had a good outcome.''
In March 2008 Judy Parrish of Vienna went to the hospital with stomach pain problems. After doing an EKG the results showed she was having an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). She was transferred immediately to the catheterization lab at St. Joseph's for emergency heart cath and had balloon angioplasty to open a blockage. There was evidence of coronary artery disease and she needed open-heart bypass surgery. She had quadruple bypass surgery on March 12, 2008.
''I was totally pleased with the care I received at St. Joseph's,'' she said. ''At no time did I feel like I wasn't going to be cared for.''
She felt the doctors and staff all knew what they were doing, but she also felt they added a more personal touch that she might not have gotten somewhere else. Her doctors are still keeping up-to-date with her progress and continually encouraging her to live a healthier lifestyle.
There seems to be a feeling in the area that people have to go somewhere else to get the best of something.
''People tend to overlook what we have locally,'' she said. ''I can't imagine being any better any place else.''
Each patient said they would put their care locally up against any other facility around from the skill of the doctors to the care they received afterwards to their recovery process and ongoing care.
''I think the medical staff is as competent, professional and up-to-date as anyone,'' Pyles said. ''Even now, my doctors are still on top of everything. Now when I go into St. Joseph's Hospital, I feel safe in that if something happened they would take care of me.''
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JCB1964
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04-12-09 12:25 PM
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I've had 3 open-heart surgeries, and I cannot imagine being in ICU for 10 days,...that, itself would put me in the ground. The longest I've ever been in ICU is 2 days, and that was 2 in Houston and 1 in Charleston.
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