Harold Ward of Gary had never been a patient until suddenly last July, he found himself at St. Catherine Hospital’s Emergency Department, suffering from severe back pain that couldn’t be relieved with over-the-counter medications.
“The pain was terrible,” recalls the 70-year old retiree. “It was on my left side and radiated from my lower back down my leg. They were still running some tests when my sister, who is a nurse practitioner in Dallas, Texas, called the hospital to speak with the healthcare team. That phone call saved my life.”
Ward’s sister Tamara McCrary, NP, told Nurse Annette Henderson that Harold’s father and grandfather had both died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture when they were in their early 70s. She told her, “I can’t afford to lose my brother; please check it out.”
The healthcare team had been monitoring Ward, who told them that he didn’t have any major medical issues and didn’t drink, but was a smoker. However, with this new key piece of family history, they immediately sent him for a MRI and CT scan. The MRI revealed a mass in his stomach and the CT scan distinctly showed an aneurysm.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), also known as a triple-a, is a bulge in the aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from your heart. If the bulge - caused by a weakened vessel - ruptures, the results can be deadly.
Cardiologist Pastor Llobet, MD, reassured Harold that he would be able to repair the life-threatening aneurysm. It took a team of cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and surgical technicians a little more than nine hours to repair Ward’s aorta and send him on the road to recovery.
“Luckily for Mr. Ward, we were able to do a minimally-invasive endograft repair in the cath lab, Llobet says. “Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is an alternative to open surgery for the treatment of AAAs.”
“Dr. Llobet and his team did not let me down,” Ward says. “I’ve been blessed. It is a miracle. The care at St. Catherine Hospital is very good. You couldn’t find a better team of doctors, nurses, aids and caring people who go above and beyond the call of duty.”
Find out more about advanced heart technology and Cardiovascular Care at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System.
