Seamless care, from surgery to rehab, brings lifesaving results
Brian Simmons comes from a family with heart problems. His
dad died at age 42 of heart disease. Two younger siblings both have heart
problems. Brian, 63, watches his health and last year committed to eating
healthier and exercising. He lost 10 pounds.
The exercise, it turns out, was lifesaving, but not in the
way you might expect.
One day last summer, while working out on an elliptical
machine, Brian felt pressure in his chest.
That led to a cardiac stress test and a cardiac
catheterization at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, which led to open heart
surgery at WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, followed by postsurgical rehab at
the WellSpan Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Ephrata.
WellSpan’s coordinated cardiac services in Lancaster and
Lebanon counties worked seamlessly for Brian. He has returned, in a healthier
state, to his regular life, which now includes lunchtime 2-mile walks around
the Lancaster County office park where he works.
“I feel good,” said Brian. “I was really satisfied. I would
definitely recommend going to WellSpan Good Samaritan. The surgery and the
nursing care was so good.”
Brian’s care began with his family physician, David
Gasperack, MD, of WellSpan Family Medicine - Meadowbrook in Leola, where he
lives. It was Dr. Gasperack who ordered the cardiac stress test.
Brian failed that test and within an hour was undergoing a
cardiac catheterization at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, where
cardiologists discovered he had a 98 percent blockage in one artery and 72
percent blockages in two other arteries. He was admitted to WellSpan Ephrata
Community Hospital for monitoring. The next day, an ambulance took Brian to
WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, where he had open heart surgery two days
later.
“Patients benefit from having their care handled within the
WellSpan system, where their physicians collaborate, share medical records and
work together to get them convenient, high-quality care,” explained WellSpan
cardiologist Patrick Fitzsimmons, MD. “We have a great relationship with Good
Samaritan and their open heart team who fix our patients’ problems and send
them back to us for follow-up care and rehabilitation services.”
At WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, heart surgeon Martin
LeBoutillier, MD, performed triple bypass surgery on Brian. In the subsequent
days, staff from Dr. LeBoutillier’s practice and hospital nurses made sure
Brian was well-cared-for, informed about what was happening and comfortable.
With the benefit of WellSpan’s sophisticated electronic
health record, the surgical team at WellSpan Good Samaritan had immediate
access to Brian’s medical information, and they were able to communicate easily
with the team at WellSpan Ephrata regarding his treatment.
Six weeks after his surgery, Brian began cardiac rehab in
Ephrata, walking on a treadmill, riding a stationary bicycle and working out on
an arm-exercising machine nicknamed “The Beast.”
Married and the father of a grown daughter, Brian is glad to
be back at work as a database administrator. He lost another 10 pounds and is
working on continuing to eat a healthy diet.
“I would recommend to anyone else, if they feel anything
strange or uncomfortable, to immediately go see someone about it,” Brian said.
“The outcome for them, if they wait, may not be as good as what I had. I am so
glad I got help.”