Patient Story

Tennis players are back on the courts thanks to Hoag

According to the American Heart Association, about every 34 seconds someone in the United States has a heart attack. Some heart attacks can be prevented by knowing the risk factors and making lifestyle modifications. Lifestyle modifications include: stopping smoking, lowering cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and exercising regularly.

Quick action during a heart attack saves lives Costa Mesa resident Jim Leahy is no stranger to the medical field. He and his wife Pat have been CPR instructors for the American Red Cross since 1964. Jim spent three years in the U.S. Army as a surgical technician, as well as worked as a cast and scrub technician at Hoag in the 1960s.

In 2000, Jim’s family physician instructed him to go on medication to lower his cholesterol, since this could impact his heart health. Jim felt he had fairly low cholesterol his entire life and opted not to take medication, wanting to try more natural options instead.

Exercise and diet did lower Jim’s cholesterol, and his physician continued to monitor his condition over the following years. In early 2010, Jim experienced what he thought was indigestion, a burning sensation in his throat. “It was similar to how lungs feel after running on a cold morning,” he describes. Even though he thought it was just a strange discomfort, Jim went to his physician immediately. A stress test concluded he had coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart with blood. The discomfort was angina, a warning sign.

Jim decided to turn down medication again and focus on his diet, which had effectively lowered his cholesterol in the past. “I didn’t mean to defy the physician’s orders and not take medication, but wanted to see if it could be lowered naturally first,” states Jim.

As an active member at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, Jim contended that he never experienced this “indigestion-like” feeling during exercise. However, on June 21, 2010, Jim was playing tennis with other club members and started to feel extremely exhausted after playing a set. He sat down on a bench to rest, placed his elbows on his knees and simply collapsed. The next thing he remembers is waking up at Hoag, asking his wife where he was, and being relieved when she said, “You’re at Hoag.”

Jim experienced a full cardiac arrest, and was transported to the nearest hospital - Hoag. He was taken immediately from the emergency department to the catheterization lab where Subbarao Myla, M.D. performed a coronary artery angioplasty and stent placement. He was placed on the Arctic Sun© cooling protocol, a therapeutic hypothermia using a temperature control system to rapidly decrease a patient’s temperature to 91° Farenheit. Cooling the body after a trauma that interrupts oxygen supply (in this case cardiac arrest) helps preserve brain and vital organ function.

“It’s important to have top facilities close by, otherwise I would not be here,” Jim shares. “After my heart attack, one of the members at the tennis club who performed CPR on me, mentioned that the paramedics were pretty doubtful about my outcome. I am a huge believer in Hoag having worked there for years, having both of our children born there and knowing many doctors that work there. However, you don’t realize how superior the treatment is until you’re the patient.”

Now, more than six months after his heart attack, Jim states happily that he feels better than he has in a long time. He is playing tennis and continues his recovery at cardiac rehab, which he credits for keeping him accountable for his diet and exercise as well as giving excellent heart healthy cooking options.

Heart attack occurs unexpectedly

While knowing and modifying the risk factors can greatly reduce the risk of having a heart attack, sometimes there are no warning signs. In some instances, heart attacks can happen unexpectedly, even if the person is in great physical condition. Such was the case with 64 year-old Daud Ahmed.

As an active and competitive tennis player, who made it to six finals of the national age group tournaments, winning the gold ball in 2007, Daud prided himself on never having to use prescription medication and being the epitome of health and fitness. That all changed on February 7, 2010, when Daud collapsed after playing a tennis match at the Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.

Fortunately, a fellow club member found Daud shortly after his collapse, recognized he was in cardiac arrest and was able to defibrillate him immediately, with help from two staff members, just before the paramedics arrived.

The paramedics alerted Hoag’s emergency department (ED) from the field that they were transporting a heart attack patient, and in turn alerted Hoag cardiologists Carey O’Bryan, M.D., Bonnie Gainer, M.D., and the cardiac cath lab team who quickly assembled and prepared for Daud’s arrival.

He was taken immediately from the ED to the catheterization lab where Dr. Gainer proceeded with coronary artery angioplasty and stent implantation to clear the blockage causing Daud’s heart attack. Blood flow was restored to his heart, but due to the lack of oxygen to his brain during his cardiac arrest, he did not wake up. Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute’s world-class team of cardiologists, intensivists and nurses determined that Daud could benefit from therapeutic hypothermia using the Arctic Sun© device, just like Jim Leahy.

Two days after initiating the treatment, the intensivists re-warmed Daud’s body to see if he would regain consciousness and thankfully, Daud opened his eyes later that afternoon. Although tired, Daud’s brain and cognitive ability were fully functional. Daud’s coronary artery disease was extensive and he had multiple blockages aside from the culprit artery that caused his heart attack.

During his hospitalization, Colin Joyo, M.D., a premier cardiovascular surgeon on staff at Hoag, was consulted and determined that coronary bypass surgery would be scheduled at a later date, allowing Daud time to heal following his heart attack. On March 19, five and a half weeks after his heart attack, Daud had coronary artery bypass surgery.

“I truly believe that my active lifestyle saved me,” says Daud. “However, even in the best of shape, there could be health issues that are asymptomatic at first, then become apparent when it’s too late, making it all the more important to be proactive when it comes to your health.”

Daud had no apparent warning signs of heart disease, only a family history of the disease (both his brother and father had heart disease), and had always thought that his healthy lifestyle would conquer his genetics. If it had not been for the quick reaction from his fellow tennis club member, the quick response by the paramedics and Hoag’s experts acting quickly and efficiently, Daud could have faced more excruciating challenges, and possibly death.

Daud was discharged after surgery in just four days and continues to be an active participant of Hoag’s Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Now, just months after his heart attack and surgery, Daud is back playing tennis.