BrettCare

Published on February 20, 2020

Last updated 03:28 PM August 21, 2020

From diagnosis to treatment, Brett received cutting-edge cardiac care that saved his life, all from one health system, mere miles from his home.

After working in construction for over 20 years, Brett Faucett knows all about the right building blocks. Piece by piece, a building comes together, but if one brick falls out of line, the whole system can crumble.

That’s why Brett knew something was wrong when the numbness started in his left arm. It came and went several times before he ended up behind the wheel of his car.

Sitting at an intersection, Brett was at a crossroads. He could turn right, attend his out-of-town business meeting, and ignore the sinking feeling inside. Or he could turn left and drive straight to the emergency department at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

“It’s really hard when you plan on going to work and you know people are counting on you. It’s hard to make that left turn and listen to your body.”

Brett took a deep breath and turned the wheel toward the hospital, forever changing the course of his life.

All heart attacks can be deadly, but a widowmaker heart attack is particularly dangerous. In Brett’s case, we had to act quickly to restore blood flow and prevent any damage to his heart.

- Dr. Salvatore Mannino

Wellstar Cardiologist

Listen to Brett's Story

In the Nick of Time

Though he didn’t know it, Brett was just minutes away from death when he arrived at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. After a flurry of tests, Dr. Salvatore Mannino discovered Brett was having a “widowmaker” heart attack with a 99.9% blockage.

“All heart attacks can be deadly, but a widowmaker heart attack is particularly dangerous,” explained Dr. Mannino. A widowmaker heart attack occurs when the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which supplies blood to the front part of the heart, is blocked. “In Brett’s case, we had to act quickly to restore blood flow and prevent any damage to his heart.”

“When you’re 39 years old, you would never think, 'Man, I'm going to be dealing with a heart attack,'” Brett said. “When you're in a situation like that, your world is flipped upside down.”

From the technicians to the physicians, the Wellstar Medical Staff was there to offer support and reassurance every step of the way.

“They did an amazing job of just calming me down, letting me know what was going on, letting me know what my future looked like,” Brett remembered.

For this father of two, his treatment at Wellstar made all the difference. Less than 24 hours later, Brett was released from the hospital with no heart damage, and back home with his wife and kids.

“My family has a dad and a husband because of Wellstar,” Brett stressed. “As much as it’s a shock to the person that has the heart attack, it’s an even bigger shock for the family because they’re the ones that could have been left behind.”

Following his release, Brett went to Wellstar Cobb Hospital for cardiac rehabilitation, a medically supervised education, lifestyle and exercise program for patients with cardiac-related illnesses like heart attacks.

After completing the program, Brett was able to move forward without missing a beat.

Listening to Your Body

A few years later, Brett sat on an airplane heading to Atlanta from a business trip. As the tires lifted from the ground, he broke out in a cold sweat and felt a nagging tightness in his chest.

“It felt like I maybe had bronchitis, just a little tightness. It was a completely different feeling than my first heart issue,” Brett recounted.

Even though he was more than 30,000 feet in the air, Brett knew he had to do something. After notifying the flight attendant of the situation, an EMS team was brought on the tarmac at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. As soon as the plane touched down, Brett was rushed through downtown to Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center.

“When you have a second heart attack, you just don’t even know what to do,” Brett said, describing the intensity of the situation. “You don’t know how to even process that.”

After undergoing tests in the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab, Dr. Paul Douglass discovered a 40% blockage in a vessel that ran across the front of Brett’s heart. The cardiologist cleared the blockage immediately.

“It turns out Mr. Faucett had a new lesion that caused his second heart attack. Luckily, this time his artery didn’t require a stent.” Dr. Douglass recalled, noting that a stent helps prop the artery open, decreasing its chance of narrowing again. “However, to prevent a heart attack in the future, he was placed on a strict diet and aerobic exercise plan.”

After two days in the ICU, Brett was feeling like himself again.

During it all, Brett fondly remembers how Dr. Douglass treated him throughout the process. “He took a lot of time with me explaining everything. He made me feel at ease and helped me understand what was going on.”

To this day, Brett still regularly sees Dr. Douglass for any of his cardiovascular needs.

“Dr. Douglass walks the walk. Literally.” He laughed, remembering how he once called the cardiologist and caught him on the treadmill.

But Dr. Douglass wasn’t the only one helping Brett during his recovery.

“Caring for patients is a team effort with both the physician and the family,” Dr. Douglass said about Brett’s health journey. “His wife and children were instrumental in his recovery. They helped cheer him on through cardiac rehabilitation so he could achieve his health goals.”

Expert Heart Care

From diagnosis to treatment, Brett received cutting-edge cardiac care that saved his life, all from one health system, mere miles from his home. Brett and his entire family continue their wellness journey with Wellstar, whether that’s making sure he stays healthy or scheduling routine check-ups for his two kids at Acworth Health Park.

“Wellstar covers all my family's health needs,” Brett said about the comprehensive care he and his family have received. “The way Wellstar has taken care of us is world-class. We feel like we’re the only patients they have.”

One of the biggest lessons Brett has learned is to listen to his body as he gets older. “When you’re younger you feel like you’re bulletproof, and nothing could ever happen to you. One thing I would advise is making sure that all men of all ages have some kind of health screening at least once a year.”

Brett knows his cardiac episodes are just a couple of chapters in his health story. To keep making progress, he must continue to choose to live a healthy lifestyle and be an active participant in his wellness. But with Wellstar, he doesn’t have to do it alone.

“Everyone has a health story that gets written,” Brett said. “And there is no other place that I would want my story written than at Wellstar.”

Life-saving LVAD implants

In October 2020, Mike received a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implant to support his heart. An LVAD is a battery-powered pump that is surgically implanted and does the job of the heart, pumping blood throughout the body. The external rechargeable battery pack can provide up to 17 hours of power, and most patients with LVAD implants are able to return to work and other routine activities.

For patients whose hearts cannot effectively pump blood on their own, an LVAD is life-saving technology. The device can either keep the patient healthy until they can receive a transplant or serve as an alternative to a heart transplant.

Your Wellstar cardiologist or heart failure specialist can help you determine if an LVAD is the right option for your heart care.

Mike’s decades-long Wellstar partnership

Mike has been a Wellstar patient for decades, beginning when he began experiencing heart issues and was referred to Dr. David Caras for a consultation. As a Wellstar heart patient, he was ready to receive life-saving care right when he needed it, years later.

After Mike received his LVAD implant, an interdisciplinary team of Wellstar providers helped him recover. After Dr. Richard Myung and Dr. Theresa Luu performed the surgery, he spent three weeks in inpatient rehabilitation at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, guided by an expert team who helped him adjust to life with the implant.

Mike had been on vasopressors to elevate his blood pressure, and when he lost circulation in his toes and developed gangrene, Wellstar Podiatrist Dr. Ashish Kapila performed an amputation of the toes to control the infection, which could have been particularly dangerous with the LVAD.

And when Mike was determined to walk his daughter down the aisle for her June 2021 wedding, Wellstar helped make it happen. He began cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy at Wellstar Vinings Health Park. He knew the aisle at the church was 40 feet long, so his physical therapy team measured the distance and practiced with him.

In June, he was able to walk with his daughter at her wedding, with the support of his LVAD implant keeping his heart beating with every step. Then in August, he was able to enjoy another family milestone — the birth of his first grandchild.

Mike said Wellstar made his care personal and helped him feel supported on his heart health journey. The LVAD coordinators and nursing team in the critical care unit and cardiovascular ICU and on the blue floor at Kennestone became like family as he began his life with the LVAD, Mike said.

“I can’t say enough great things about Wellstar Health System. They truly deliver ‘PeopleCare,’ from the physicians to the clinical staff to the maintenance team that cleans the rooms,” Mike said. “Rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach, they take the time to know me and my healthcare needs and coordinate care seamlessly. I feel like we’re a team in this journey together.”

Patient Mike Clements walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding

Mike walking his daughter down the aisle

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Neuro Care You Can Count on at Wellstar

When Vera McAdoo was experiencing bleeding in her brain, Wellstar didn’t give up and stayed by her side for every step of recovery.

In September 2019, Vera was at work as an inventory analyst. Then, she suddenly woke up in the emergency department at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

She had a bleeding arteriovenous fistula, an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain. She had been exhibiting some worrying signs. She was not talking, she couldn’t open her eyes, and her pupils were not responding.

But Wellstar Neurosurgeon Dr. William Humphries saw hope, and Wellstar was there when seconds mattered.

Vera was taken to the angiography suite for a catheter-based treatment to control the source of the bleeding before going to the operating room. She underwent an emergent surgery to remove the fistula and treat the swelling in her brain by removing part of her skull.

She was in a coma in the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit for 30 days, but her care team never gave up. Then, as she started healing, Kennestone’s inpatient rehabilitation program stepped in, ensuring she had the tools and support she needed to return to routine.

Kennestone is home to a specialized Neuro-Intensive Care Unit staffed with a multidisciplinary team of neurocritical care physicians, neurologists and nurses experienced in treating the most complex stroke and aneurysm cases.

“It was a blessing that Dr. Humphries was there and saved my life,” Vera said. “My care at Kennestone was great.”

To learn more about how Wellstar treats conditions involving the brain, visit our neuro care site.

PeopleCare

LatayeCare

In Lataye Jordan’s world, “family comes first” is more than a mantra. It’s a way of life, as a wife and mother raising four fearless daughters.

While living in New York, Lataye learned how to be strong, determined and face challenges head-on — lessons she now instills in her own children. These traits proved useful when the Jordans resettled in the South at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But between the big move and preparing the girls for virtual school, Lataye found it difficult to squeeze in any ‘me time.’ Caring for her little ones often led to putting her own health last.

However, with two different heart conditions — a murmur and high blood pressure — the mother needed tailored care to live her fullest life.

With the help of Wellstar, Lataye got expert care to stay heart healthy, right in her new neighborhood. But beyond that, she found a trusted healthcare family that had her covered when it came to her well-being.

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