Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in OhioHealth’s “Your Best Health” magazine in the Winter of 2021.
John and Helen Fisher spent late 2020 at home together struggling to recover from the COVID-19 virus.
“We split a can of tomato soup for our Christmas dinner,” Helen says. “We were so sick we didn’t want it. But we knew we had to eat something.”
The final weeks of the year were difficult for the Ashland couple, but they could not have predicted how much worse their situation would become just a few days later.
In the early hours of December 30, John’s health seemed to be declining rapidly. And even when Helen finally convinced him to visit the ER, because of her illness, she wasn’t able to accompany him.
“Something was definitely wrong,” says John. “I finally bit the bullet and went to the hospital.”
Once under medical care, the extent of John’s health event became clear. He was having a major heart attack. And time was of the essence.
John was life-flighted by helicopter from Samaritan Medical Center to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, where a skilled team of cardiologists and support staff were preparing for his arrival.
“I’d gone back to bed after dropping John off,” says Helen. “Lying there in the darkness of our home, I heard the helicopter fly over on its way to Mansfield. I remember thinking, ‘There goes my life.’”
The cardiology team at Mansfield Hospital, led by interventional cardiologist Atish Mathur, MD, quickly assessed the situation. John underwent emergency coronary angioplasty to open the blockage in his artery.
However, John’s condition was even more serious than they had initially thought. “John was in a vastly weakened state, both from COVID-19 and the underlying heart issue,” says Mathur. “His heart was working at only 15% to 17%. Normally, we’d perform open heart surgery for someone in his condition. But, in his case, his heart just wasn’t strong enough to survive a procedure that invasive.”
After consulting with other OhioHealth cardiology specialists, Mathur decided John was a candidate for a protected PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) procedure supported by Impella®, the world’s smallest heart pump. The device, which is the size of a drinking straw, would take over most of the blood-pumping responsibilities while John’s heart rested during complete revascularization.
“The procedure,” says Helen, “was a complete success.”
John spent less than a week in the hospital, recovering enough to go home with Helen after only five days. Today, just months after the procedure, the retired 30-year Richland County Dog Warden is back to doing what he loves: woodworking, leather crafting and restoring old treasures.
“I can’t speak highly enough about the whole team at OhioHealth,” he says. “Even above and beyond saving my life, they were incredible at every step in the process.”
His praise extends to the follow-up care and rehabilitation he received in the weeks and months after he returned home at OhioHealth’s Heart Failure Clinic in Mansfield.
Mathur credits two main factors for John’s success.
First is Mansfield Hospital’s willingness to invest in the best and latest medical technology.
“The level of care we’re able to provide in Mansfield is the same as you’ll find in any of the large urban areas in Ohio and the surrounding states,” he says. “That makes a big difference when it comes to serious heart conditions.”
The second important thing to take from John’s story, according to Mathur, is how critical a role time plays in emergency heart situations.
“With almost every heart attack, the difference between life and death is time,” he says. “And no matter what is happening with the pandemic, if you think you’re suffering a heart event, go to the nearest emergency room or hospital. At OhioHealth, we’ve taken steps to make sure everyone is safe. Just get here and let us take care of you.”
And even while John continues to make great progress in his recovery, the Fishers aren’t completely out of the woods. Helen is currently undergoing care at OhioHealth for a heart issue of her own.
“Knowing what I know now, though,” she says, “I have full confidence in the care I’m receiving. I’m in good hands.”
