Is It a Heart Attack?

Dr. Joseph Gaines was in pain. Seeking care saved his life.

On Oct. 28, 2021, Dr. Joseph Gaines, Chief of Pathology at St. Mary’s Hospital, had no idea he was feeling the first signs of a heart attack. As he had done for more than 30 years, he was at his desk, looking at tissue samples through a microscope to find signs of cancer and other diseases. His mind wasn’t focused on his own health.

“At first, I did not think it was anything other than reflux, but it kept on getting worse and worse,” he said.

About half an hour after the pain started, he was concerned enough to visit St. Mary’s Emergency Department. As he walked in, one of the emergency department physicians, Dr. Cullen Timmons, was shocked by how pale he looked and immediately placed him in a treatment room. An EKG revealed he was having a heart attack. It took only 10 minutes from that moment to rush him to St. Mary’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab for emergency treatment.

In the cath lab, interventional cardiologist Dr. Patrick Willis found that the pain was caused by two blockages in one of his heart’s biggest and most important blood vessels: the left anterior descending coronary artery.

“They call blockages in that artery ‘widow makers’ because they are so serious,” Dr. Gaines noted.

The blockages happened when damaged places (called plaques) on the inside of the blood vessel had ruptured after silently growing for years. The ruptured plaques stopped blood from flowing through the artery. As a result, heart tissue “downstream” from the blockages was stressed and starting to die. Dr. Willis and the cath lab staff were able to quickly reopen the clogged blood vessel and implant two medicated, spring-like stents to keep them open.

“That saved my life,” Dr. Gaines said. “If I had not had staff working with me who were so efficient and knowledgeable, along with state-of-the-art equipment, I probably would not have lived.”

He was in good hands. St. Mary’s Hospital has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology for its expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain. The hospital received this accreditation based on the ability of physicians and staff to quickly evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.

“I was extremely fortunate,” Dr. Gaines said.

During the procedure, Dr. Willis also found several other near-blockages that were not an immediate threat to his life but would require treatment as soon as possible. Because of the number and complexity of those issues, he would need quintuple open-heart bypass surgery, which he received at an Atlanta hospital after the implanted stents had had time to become fully integrated into his LAD artery.

Dr. Gaines’ bypass surgery was on Dec. 9. On Jan. 31, he entered a new phase of his recovery: St. Mary’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, led by Todd Drake, RRT, Certified Cardiac Rehab Professional. St. Mary’s Cardiac Rehab Program is a three-part program that helps people with cardiovascular disease live a healthier and happier life.

The program has three phases:

• Phase 1 patient education occurs during the hospital stay. Patients learn about heart health and exactly happens during a heart attack. Learning includes signs and symptoms of a heart attack, risk factors of heart disease, information on medications, diet and exercise, and more.
• Phase 2 uses monitored exercise and lifestyle changes to help the patient recover, build a healthier body, and maximize heart function. A key part of this 12-week phase is regular exercise sessions at St. Mary’s Hospital, where Drake uses in-person observation and vital signs telemetry to help keep patients safe as they build strength and confidence.
• Phase 3 is lifelong maintenance. At St. Mary’s Wellness Center, exercise science experts help patients by creating food management plans, weight goals, and exercise goals that patients can continue for years.

“Phase 3 is important because you want to make sure everything they have learned sticks and the patient continues these changes throughout the rest of their life,” Drake said.

Drake enjoys being able to help people recover, stop smoking if they use tobacco, and have a healthier, happier lifestyle. He also enjoys how personal the program can be. “An important feature of our program is that we have a small patient-to-caregiver ratio and give that one-on-one care,” he noted.

Drake also pointed out that, after a heart attack, most patients worry that exertion will trigger another heart attack. Part of what cardiac rehab does, he said, is give them faith that they can return to normal activities.

That was true for Dr. Gaines. He said attending the rehabilitation program helped him get back in shape and feel safe about exercising after his heart attack. He now walks five miles a day and has replaced most of the high-fat, high-cholesterol foods he used to eat with healthier options.

“By the end of it, I was in much better shape than before,” he said. “Todd was great at making it fun. He did a good job and I certainty felt a lot better about doing things. You’re never really sure about what you can and cannot do after the attack, so it was nice being monitored and getting back in shape.”

Today, Dr. Gaines is back at his microscope, continuing his personal mission as a physician to diagnose disease and help save lives. And he no longer takes his own health for granted.

“I’ve been given the gift of more time,” he said. “I am forever grateful to the doctors and staff in the ER, cardiac cath lab, and on the nursing unit for getting me through this situation. My experience shows why it’s so important to take symptoms seriously and get help fast. If I hadn’t gone to the ER when I did, I don’t think I would have made it.”

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Symptoms of a heart attack

It is important to know the symptoms of a heart attack. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense while others start slowly. Pay attention to your body and call 911 if you experience:

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the chest area that may last for a few minutes or go away and return later. It may feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in the upper area of the body. Other areas of the body where you may experience discomfort can be one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
• Shortness of breath can occur either with or without chest pain.
• Other signs include cold sweats, nausea, or dizziness.

St. Mary’s loves your heart

St. Mary’s provides a continuum of services designed to protect and improve your heart’s health.

• Emergency care at all three hospitals
• Testing (stress test, nuclear medicine, CT, echo testing)
• Cardiac catheterization services (St. Mary’s Hospital only)
• Device implantation and monitoring
• Electrophysiology
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Nutrition/diabetes counseling
• Smoking cessation classes
• Free monthly Healthy Heart Living classes
• Oconee Heart and Vascular Center. OHVC is a multi-office cardiology practice dedicated to providing quality heart and blood vessel care with dignity and compassion. Our team of cardiologists, cardiac nurse practitioners and other professionals take a proactive and preventative approach to heart health, from high blood pressure to device implantation and follow-up.

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