On Halloween at 9 a.m., Clyde Livingston, the custodian at Canton High School for more than 30 years, started to experience a severe, burning pain in his chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the pain would go away, but then it started going down my arm,\u201d says Livingston, 59. \u201cThen I knew exactly what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Livingston was having a heart attack. His fellow employees in the kitchen at the school called 9-1-1 immediately, and the school\u2019s health department got involved to help.<\/p>\n
Within minutes, the Town of Canton Fire & EMS Department\u2019s ambulance arrived, and an EKG test at the scene confirmed that the patient was indeed having a heart attack \u2013 of a type known as an ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) that is caused by a blocked artery.<\/p>\n
The paramedics quickly radioed a \u2018STEMI Alert\u2019 into UConn John Dempsey Hospital\u2019s Emergency Department to prepare the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center\u2019s cardiac catheterization laboratory to care for the heart attack patient right away.<\/p>\n
But while in the ambulance in route to the hospital, Livingston\u2019s heart suddenly stopped. His heart attack, along with an unstable blood clot inside his artery, caused a dangerous heartbeat to develop known as ventricular fibrillation, which led to cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
He was revived by the paramedics with lifesaving CPR and one zap of their cardiac defibrillator.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember going fast down Route 44 in the ambulance and hearing the sirens and the horns,\u201d recalls Livingston. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I would make it. I thought I was going to pass in the ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Livingston was one of the lucky ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was waiting in the ED for Mr. Livingston\u2019s arrival,\u201d says Dr. Juyong Lee, his interventional cardiologist at UConn Health. \u201cWhether your heart attack strikes day or night, UConn Health is always ready to care for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although his heart artery was 99 percent blocked, Livingston was alert when he arrived, and in just 20 minutes he was taken to the cardiac catheterization lab, where the artery was successfully opened through his wrist using a minimally invasive technique.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result of great teamwork,\u201d Lee says, \u201cthe patient recovered from his heart attack and cardiac arrest with absolutely no neurological problems and minimal heart muscle damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Kai Chen, the patient\u2019s attending cardiologist at UConn Health, says: \u201cCritical survival time was saved, thanks to the quick response of Canton High School\u2019s employees and the Town of Canton ambulance, along with their ability to perform lifesaving defibrillation and CPR. When it comes to surviving a heart attack, time is muscle. Our entire team at UConn Health was on standby to do our additional part to minimize this patient\u2019s heart damage and increase his odds of survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
UConn John Dempsey has some of the shortest \u2018door-to-balloon\u2019 times for heart attack patient care in the state of Connecticut. This is measured from the time of a patient\u2019s arrival at the ED to a cardiac intervention. The American Heart Association has recognized UConn Health and its Fire Department EMS teams for its high level of performance with Gold level awards.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat job,\u201d Livingston told his doctors Lee and Chen, as he was discharged from the hospital on Nov. 2. \u201cI was impressed. I am sold on UConn Health now. They have given me a second chance at life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Livingston\u2019s message to others who may experience heart attack symptoms: don\u2019t ignore the warning signs, and get checked immediately. \u201cDon\u2019t take any chances,\u201d he says. \u201cTime is important to your survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Thanksgiving around the corner, Livingston is very grateful to the team at UConn Health. \u201cI will now be with my wife and kids for the holidays,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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