New Mother Survives Heart Attack
February 06, 2012
Patient Reunion Celebration at The Medical Center of Plano
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| Cardiologist, Dr. Mordecai Klein with the Karhu Family. |
The Medical Center of Plano hosted a special patient reunion celebration recently for Suzanne Karhu and her family. Karhu suffered a heart attack on January 12th, just two weeks after giving birth. With no previous history of heart disease, the new mother suffered a heart attack caused by a condition known as coronary artery dissection. The dissection occurs when layers in the artery separate, enabling blood to flow into the space between the layers. This causes the blood to accumulate, causing an obstruction to the normal blood flow within the heart, leading to chest pain and heart attack. It is a rare condition seen in women more than men and can sometimes occur in pregnant and postpartum women such as Karhu.
The health care team at The Medical Center of Plano along with the city’s EMS first responders, saved the new mom’s life. Cardiologist, Dr. Mordecai Klein diagnosed the condition upon arrival to the Level II Trauma Center. Dr. James Bowman, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, performed an emergency open heart triple bypass surgery to intervene in the life threatening condition. Due to the quick actions of all involved, Mrs. Karhu was able to survive and return home from the hospital after eight days with an excellent prognosis for a complete recovery.
Husband, Chris, newborn daughter, Kariana, and Mr. Karhu’s parents were part of the celebration which included hospital staff and first responders from the Plano Fire Department’s EMS team who provided care to Mrs. Karhu during the health crisis. “It was a wonderful affirmation of why we’re in healthcare,” commented Sandy Haire, Chief Nursing Officer. “We have exceptional physicians and healthcare professionals on our team. We also have a strong relationship with the City of Plano Emergency Medical Services which enables us to have success stories similar to the Karhu’s on a frequent basis. However, it’s always heart-warming when we get to celebrate a successful outcome with a patient in this way”, Haire added.