A new lease on life - Paul Bacon, off-pump bypass patient
It was just a little back pain. Nothing to worry about, thought Paul Bacon,a 68-year-old print shop owner. But when the pain persisted for more than four months, Bacon finally decided to see his doctor.
"He said, ‘You need to go directly to the hospital. You are having a heart attack.’ "I thought he was wrong because I had never had chest pain in my life. But he was right. My heart was a mess," said Bacon. Because Bacon’s primary artery was 95 percent closed and two other arteries were 75 percent closed, he was scheduled for immediate bypass surgery. His cardiac surgeon Dr. Peetz opted to use a revolutionary new "off-pump"procedure that allows doctors to operate on a beating heart,rather than stopping the heart and using a pump as in traditional heart surgeries. The off-pump procedure is known to prevent mental decline and bleeding complications often associated with traditional bypass surgery.
Bacon says he’s not too clear on the details of the procedure; he simply knows he has a new lease on life. "The care at Alegent Health was phenomenal, couldn’t have been better. Afterward, my doctor said, ‘You’re as strong as an ox. You have many years of good living ahead.’ "That sounds fine to me."
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