Recovery from Sudden Cardiac Arrest: A Patient's Story
8/19/2024
Greg Kennedy, a 64-year-old biologist, was in Northwest Indiana on business when he experienced sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening condition caused by an electrical malfunction of the heart that can quickly turn fatal if the person does not get immediate treatment.
“According to my co-workers, I was eating breakfast at the hotel restaurant when suddenly, without warning, I froze and collapsed. I have no memory of it,” recalls Greg.
Greg’s team members – who were all trained in CPR - immediately called 911 and started resuscitation. The ambulance arrived just minutes later and Greg was rushed to Northwest Health – Porter.
“Later we were told Greg’s heart stopped three times and the EMS team had to use a defibrillator to get it going again,” said Greg’s wife, Shelly Kennedy, who was at their Michigan home when she received the call about her husband’s condition. “By the time my sons and I arrived at Northwest Health – Porter several hours later, Greg’s heart had been stabilized and he had already undergone a cardiac cath procedure to rule out blockages. We were told he was now being moved to the ICU.”
There, Shelly and her sons were met by Dr. James Anthony, a board-certified critical care specialist, who explained that Greg had been placed on a ventilator to help support his breathing, and his team was currently inducing a medical coma and therapeutic hypothermia to help reduce damage to Greg’s brain, heart and organs.
Greg was kept in a coma for three days, and then slowly weaned off the hypothermia protocol and ventilator.
After awakening, Greg gradually became more alert and began to regain his memory.
Since blockages didn’t cause Greg’s cardiac arrest, cardiac electrophysiologists, Dr. Mark Dixon and Dr. Raghuram Dasari, conferred and suggested Greg have an ICD, or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, placed in his chest to shock his heart and restore a regular heartbeat if it ever stopped again. Greg agreed and Dr. Dasari performed the procedure the next day.
After discharge, Greg shared that it took several months to regain his full strength, and today he is thankfully back to his old self and enjoying time with his family.
“I feel lucky on all counts. From my fast-acting co-workers, the quick emergency response team, and of course the amazing care I received at Northwest Health. I could not have received better care.” said Greg. “Shelly and I were both so impressed with my doctors, the exceptional nursing care – actually every person that touched our lives at Northwest Health made all of the difference in the world. We could not be more thankful and grateful to each of them.”
To learn more about Northwest Health visit NWHealthIN.com.
Greg Kennedy, cardiology patient, with his family
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