Inspira Health Network

A Life Saved …a Grateful Man When an artery blockage threatened Bob Litzinger's life, inspira Health network was there every step of the way. Bob Litzinger, 64, of Wenonah was working in his yard in November 2012 when he felt pain and pressure in his arms and chest. He and his wife, Kathleen, decided to call 911 rather than try to drive directly to the hospital — a decision that saved Bob's life. Inspira paramedics arrived quickly and immediately determined Bob was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack and took him to Inspira Medical Center Woodbury, alerting the hospital to Bob's condition en route. "My heart stopped on the way," Bob said. "They were able to restart it, thankfully. When we got to the emergency room, the team was already waiting there. They pretty much met us at the door." Bob was taken directly to the cardiac catheterization lab, where Ashfaque Ali Unwala, M.D., an Inspira Medical Group interventional cardiologist, performed an emergency PCI (emergency angioplasty with stenting) to open the blockages and restore blood flow to the heart. an average door-to-care time of 58 minutes, considerably faster than the national benchmark for emergency cardiac treatment. Bob's case was one of the fastest. For Bob, PCI not only meant staying alive, but being able to return to the life he enjoyed before his heart attack. After five days in intensive care, additional time in the hospital to ensure his heart rhythm had returned to normal, and three months of cardiac rehabilitation, Bob is once again playing jazz guitar, doing yard work and spending time with family. In addition, he now volunteers at Inspira Medical Center Woodbury. "They did so much for me, so I thought I'd do something for them," said Bob. Emergency PCI, performed by experienced cardiologists, was introduced at Inspira Medical Center Woodbury in 2009. This life-saving intervention is now also being performed at Inspira Medical Center Vineland. time Saving, Life Saving To learn more about cardiac care at Inspira Health Network, visit www.InspiraHealthNetwork.org or call 1-800-INSPIRA. During a heart attack, time is muscle. The Inspira Medical Center Woodbury team has IHN Family & Friends What is PCi? PCI (angioplasty, often with stenting) is a nonsurgical procedure that restores obstructed blood flow to the heart. A flexible tube called a catheter is threaded through an artery to the source of the blockage. The catheter has a balloon tip covered in a flexible mesh tube called a stent. During the procedure, the balloon is inflated, opening up the blockage. When the catheter is removed, the stent remains in place, keeping the artery open and restoring blood flow to the heart. FALL 2013 7

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