UMC Health System - Physician Notes

One of Our Own AFTER EXPERIENCING A BRAIN ANEURYSM, ONE OF UMC HEALTH SYSTEM'S PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS FOUND HERSELF RELYING ON THE CARE AND COMPASSION OF FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. SEPT. 15, 2016 was a normal ursday for Amy Blazek, M.P.A.S., P.A.-C. After work, she visited the gym as usual and was half an hour into her fitness class when she started to feel dizzy. "I thought I was going to fall over, so I sat down," Blazek said. "ankfully, my good friend was teaching the class and knew something wasn't right. She called 911, and I was transported to the hospital." QUICK ACTION A brain aneurysm had ruptured while Blazek was at the gym, resulting in intracranial hemorrhaging. Within 10 minutes of calling emergency services, the ambulance arrived and took her to UMC. "Fortunately, my gym was only a mile or two down the road," Blazek said. "Once EMS arrived, I knew I was in good hands." A CT scan confirmed the bleeding in Blazek's brain. Within an hour of her arrival at the hospital, the staff at UMC had formulated a treatment plan to address her condition. She was taken to the operating room, where a drain was placed to extract the blood. "Relieving pressure with the drain was the first priority," Blazek said. "Getting the bleeding to stop was the second." Blazek was taken straight to the catheterization lab after the blood was drained. She underwent endovascular repair to coil the aneurysm, which stopped the bleeding. After hours of treatment, she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, where she spent the next 21 days. "I had some complications from the brain bleed and experienced some vasospasms and stroke-like symptoms," Blazek said. REST AND RECOVERY Blazek was monitored closely and received daily cerebral angiograms once her vasospasms started. Medications and intra-arterial dilatation were used to make sure blood was getting to her brain. "ey had me on some drips in the ICU that couldn't be managed on the hospital floor," Blazek said. "Because of the angiograms, I couldn't get out of bed and had to lie flat for a prolonged period of time." Once her vasospasms ceased, Blazek was weaned off of the drips. ough she experienced pain and discomfort from both the aneurysm and being immobile for so long, she found comfort and support from the ICU staff. "e staff was amazing," Blazek said. "ey cried and prayed with me and just did everything they could to make me feel comfortable. ey had to bathe me, and they were very conscious of my feelings, modesty and pain. ey were gentle and kind, and I don't know how to put my gratitude into words." ree weeks after being admitted to the ICU, Blazek AMY, ETHAN, CHRIS AND ANDREW BL AZEK 4 PHYSICIAN NOTES /// SPRING 2018

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