Miraculous Survival: The Importance of Timely Cardiac Intervention

Charles “Bruce” Kinser knows first-hand how prompt treatment in a medical emergency not only means the difference between life and death, but early intervention can mean the difference between full recovery and lifelong disability. The University of Tennessee Medical Center’s Heart Lung Vascular Institute and LIFESTAR work together to make prompt treatment and early intervention a reality.

Last year when Bruce began experiencing severe respiratory distress and mild chest pain, he went to an outlying emergency department (ED). After assessing the 50-year-old’s severe respiratory distress, the ED physician recognized the immediate need for interventional cardiology services. Utilizing LIFESTAR’s “one call does it all” system of automatic acceptance for patients with an acute myocardial infarction, LIFESTAR was dispatched and quickly responded from the Morristown-Hamblen base of operations.

On arrival, the initial assessment was performed and the patient was quickly transferred to the aircraft for the 14-minute flight to UT Medical Center. However, only one minute prior to landing at the medical center, Bruce’s respiratory distress progressed to respiratory failure and subsequent cardiopulmonary arrest. He immediately had a breathing tube passed through his mouth into his windpipe and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated.

When Bruce had no immediate response to treatment upon arrival to UT Medical Center, he was quickly transferred to the heart catheterization lab where a cardiologist and the cath lab staff were awaiting his arrival. An angiogram quickly was started with CPR still in progress. Angiography revealed 100 percent occlusion in a proximal section of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Angioplasty was performed, and a stent was placed in the LAD but not before Bruce arrested once more. He was again resuscitated, and the heart catheterization procedure was completed. Bruce was subsequently admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit where he remained for two days. With complete blood flow restored to his heart muscle, he began an astonishing recovery and was transferred to an acute care floor, where he was discharged after three days.

With a total arrest interval of greater than 30 minutes, everyone involved was aware that a poor outcome was a possibility. However, five days after Bruce had been transported by LIFESTAR, the crew received a telephone call asking them to visit Bruce in his hospital room. Upon entering his hospital room, the crew—who had last seen a lifeless Bruce—saw him watching television and laughing with a friend.

Today, Bruce continues to live an active, normal life with no deficits of any kind. He proudly expresses his gratitude to all of the people, agencies and facilities that played such an integral role in his survival. He remains a living reminder of the importance of timely cardiac intervention and its success—even in the presence of seemingly hopeless circumstances.