Clinical Excellence

February 16, 2012

Kaiser Permanente Spotlights Exemplary Stories of Cardiovascular Care for American Heart Month

For American Heart Month in February, Kaiser Permanente presents three stories in which cardiovascular disease posed a frighteningly real threat to members. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to heart disease and stroke as the cause of one of every three deaths, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.

Kathy Spencer might have become part of that statistic. When severe pain in her jaw prompted Spencer to call Kaiser Permanente’s helpline, an alert nurse on the other end recognized the complaint as a possible sign of a heart attack and convinced her to head to the emergency room. That perceptive nurse likely saved Spencer’s life.

Rhonda Kennedy too might have become a casualty. Her flu-like symptoms turned out to be a staph infection in her heart, among other life-threatening conditions, and the 40-year-old learned she had a 20 percent chance to survive. Fortunately for Kennedy, she was seen by Yong Shin, MD, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Heart and Vascular Care at Sunnyside Medical Center, who found the right treatment and saved her life.

After suffering through a night of chest pain, Arlan Sauer met with Scott Smith, MD, who administered an EKG. Test results indicated that Sauer was at immediate risk of a heart attack. With Kaiser Permanente’s groundbreaking electronic health record a cardiac-care team was able to review Sauer’s health history before he arrived in surgery — reducing the time between his consultation with Dr. Smith to his arrival in the operating room to a mere 45 minutes.

The “Care Stories” blog presents Kaiser Permanente members talking about their own care in their own words, unscripted and uncompensated. It also showcases physicians and employees doing what they do best — caring for members and striving to do that better each day.