When you have an ongoing medical dilemma, acquiring a health care provider you have confidence in can mean everything. Possessing a health care provider who understands you, is aware your heritage, and gives you long-time period assist indicates a lot less be concerned. Working with disease is tough, but having an individual in your corner helps make it less complicated.
That is the form of medical professional Greg Szafranski located when he met UVA Well being coronary heart professional Andrew E. Darby, MD. Darby helped Greg by way of a risky episode with his coronary heart. 8 years afterwards, Darby carries on to guidance and assist Greg with his heart health and fitness.
Contents
- 1 Caught in a ‘VT Storm’
- 2 Acquiring His Unsafe Coronary heart Level Less than Command
- 3 Greg’s Record of Heart Ailment Catches Up
- 4 Greg’s Health and fitness Challenges Mount
- 5 Finding Greg Again to Normal
- 6 Looking for a Trustworthy Heart Medical professional?
- 7 Picking out the Correct Medical professional For His Heart
Caught in a ‘VT Storm’
In March 2016, Greg Szafranski knew anything was mistaken when his implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) stunned him many occasions. An ICD is a unique pacemaker that restores your heart’s rhythm utilizing electrical shocks when the rhythm receives out of whack (identical to a defibrillator).
“Eight shocks or far more, I missing count immediately after 8,” says Greg, smiling. Currently no stranger to heart ailment, he realized the shocks meant he essential assist proper away.
He was rushed to the unexpected emergency space in Culpeper, Virginia, his residence. There, the treatment team discovered Greg required complex treatment speedily. They airlifted him to UVA Overall health in Charlottesville. “It was an attention-grabbing ride,” chuckles Greg.
Acquiring His Unsafe Coronary heart Level Less than Command
Which is when he 1st became Darby’s individual. “He arrived in with ventricular tachycardia storm (also identified as vt storm), which is when individuals get a flurry of shocks from their defibrillator,” states Darby. Greg had ventricular tachycardia. His coronary heart was beating dangerously speedy and he was in significant problems.
Darby identified Greg also had a coronary heart rhythm problem identified as atrial fibrillation (afib) that built his heart skip beats. He was experiencing 2 harmful challenges at the similar time.
Greg’s Record of Heart Ailment Catches Up
Greg, now 73, got his ICD in 2009 to regulate his afib, the most popular variety of coronary heart rhythm problem in the U.S. “A virus infection experienced weakened his coronary heart,” Darby explains.
Greg underwent a heart procedure in 2015 named ablation, but it did not do the trick. His coronary heart issues reared its head yet again in the subsequent yr when he obtained the vt storm that landed him at UVA Wellbeing.
In the emergency area, “there have been a crew of medical doctors that came in, and instantly, Dr. Darby seemed quite confident,” suggests Tammy Szafranski, Greg’s wife. “He and the crew of medical professionals talked and he was drawing on a whiteboard.”
They walked Tammy and their 2 adult young children by way of the likeliest bring about of Greg’s problem — scar tissue from the viral an infection. It disrupted the electrical circuit intended to hold Greg’s coronary heart beating correctly.
The health care workforce worked tirelessly to stabilize Greg, even putting him into a medically induced coma and on a ventilator for 5 days.
Greg’s Health and fitness Challenges Mount
But Greg was not in the obvious yet. He endured a stroke influencing his suitable aspect though in the coma.
“It was quite obvious when he arrived out of it that something experienced transpired, and it was not ideal,” remembers Tammy.
All explained to, Greg used 22 times recovering at UVA Overall health, exactly where he was treated for his serious tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. Darby and his team obtained Greg’s heart difficulties underneath handle, and he began actual physical remedy.
Finding Greg Again to Normal
When Greg was healthier adequate, Darby executed another ablation procedure to deal with the issues with his heart’s electrical technique that triggered the dangerous heart fee. An ablation burns a smaller piece of the coronary heart. That adjustments the way energy moves via your coronary heart so it beats accurately.
The process this time was a double ablation for Greg’s tachycardia and afib. “I treated both the ventricular tachycardia and the atrial fibrillation, and I’d say that is some thing that we will not do a lot. Both a single of these ablations by themselves will just take about 3 hrs. So carrying out both of those together is a pretty huge treatment,” claims Darby. “A college medical center has accessibility to technology faster than a ton of hospitals do in the neighborhood. So, we’re equipped to do a lot more intricate methods than a great deal of other hospitals can.”
This double ablation approach, whilst complicated, has stored Greg in very good lengthy-term wellbeing. Considering that 2016, Greg has not experienced significant coronary heart rhythm issues. “If patients get beyond a calendar year from the ablation process and have not experienced any recurrences, the probabilities are pretty slim that it will appear back again,” explains Darby.
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Picking out the Correct Medical professional For His Heart
Greg’s family rallied about him in the medical center and over and above, keeping by his aspect as a result of his restoration from his dangerous heart amount. “His spouse was at his bedside the entire time. The family was incredibly involved in his care,” remembers Darby. “They’re pretty supportive.”
Tammy decided to question Darby to choose around as Greg’s regular cardiologist. “It was a consensus among the kids and I,” she states.
The working day Greg woke up, she approached Darby and questioned him if he would take on Greg’s case. And he agreed. Due to the fact 2016, Greg has made regular visits from Culpeper to Charlottesville to see Darby and his group for his coronary heart treatment appointments. “My wife produced a great choice switching to Dr. Darby,” claims Greg. “He’s terrific. And his group,” smiles Greg.
And they did not prevent at switching Greg’s heart medical doctor. “You have a lot of other professionals here that you see,” she reminds Greg. “We come down here for most of our care,” agrees Greg. They are now seeing eye, pores and skin, and ear, nose, and throat specialists here at UVA Overall health in Charlottesville, and are hunting to change to a main treatment service provider below as nicely.
Today, Greg proceeds to make his overall health his selection 1 precedence. Through his journey, Greg has remained optimistic, focusing on his restoration and staying in touch with Darby and his workforce at UVA Health.