Paul's Heart

Life As A Dad, And A Survivor

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18 Apr 2013
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Friday, April 18, 2008 – Saving A Life


*** please note – the following is the actual transcript of my emergency life saving double bypass surgery.  While fascinating, for some who have gone through this procedure, or know someone who has, this may be too intense of a post.  Please do not read this if this is the case.

My purpose for this, today is the 5th anniversary of my double bypass.  I read the transcript five years ago.  It is fascinating and amazing the efforts that went into saving my life.

Patient was brought to the operating room and identified as Mr. Edelman.  After routine lines were places and hemodynamic monitoring, general anesthesia was achieved via endotracheal tube, prophylactic antibiotics were administered, and the patient was prepped and draped in routine fashion for open heart surgery.

A median sternotomy incision was made.  With the sternum divided the left internal mammary artery was able to be harvested on a pedicle from the sixth intercostal space up to its origin above the first rib.  Topical Papaverine was placed at the mammary artery pedicle.  Standard self-retaining retractor was placed.  The anterior pericardium was opened and reflected anteriorly.  Simultaneous to this portion of the procedure a segment of saphenous vein was harvested from the left lower extremity in its mid portion and evaluated for use as a bypass conduit.  It was adequate at 4mm internal diameter.

Epiaortic ultrasound of the ascending aorta was normal.  Heparin was given to create systemic anticoagulation with an activated clotting time greater than 450 second.  This was achieved.  We harvested the distal portion of the mammary artery with excellent flow.  I made a slit in the pericardium anterior to the phrenic nerve on the left side of the pericardium, and measured the mammary artery for proper length and rotation for bypass to the proximal LAD.  We still had ample length almost 2cm beyond this area of the mammary artery and on measuring the distance from the obtuse marginal to the pericardial slit there was ample room to use the mammary artery in a Y graft fashion to the obtuse marginal.

In an effort to give arterial graft to this young gentleman we then sewed the mammary artery in a Y graft fashion dividing the mammary artery at the junction between the mid and distal third of the mammary artery where it would be placed to the LAD without tension and sewing that in end-to-side to the mammary artery where it comes through the slit in the pericardium anterior to the phrenic nerve on the left side.  This was done with running 8-0 Prolene suture.  We completed the anastomosis and removed the atraumatic vascular clamp from the Y graft with excellent flow down both grafts with the Y anastomosis hemostatic.

It was treated with topical Papaverine.  Standard cannulation took place with an arterial inflow cannula in the ascending aorta, atriocaval cannula in the right atrium, a cardioplegia delivery cannula in the ascending aorta, retrograde cardioplegia cannula in the right atrium of the coronary sinus.  The patient was placed on bypass, cooled, and emptied.  With the heart emptied, a crossclamp was placed and 1 liter of antegrade cardioplegia solution was given through the catheter in the ascending aorta.  The heart became asystolic.

We then switched the patient over to retrograde cardioplegia delivery through the coronary sinus catheter utilizing the catheter in the ascending aorto to vent the left ventricle.  With no cardioplegia running and the heart well vented and decompressed we placed on branch of the mammary artery end-to-side to the obtuse marginal with running 8-0 Prolene suture.  We completed the anastomosis, initiated retrograde cardioplegia delivery, and removed atraumatic vascular clamp from the mammary artery pedicle finding the anastmosis to be hemostatic.

We placed back the atraumatic vascular clamp on the mammary artery pedicle, opened the LAD in its proximal segment, and placed the mammary artery end-to-side to this vessel running 8-0 Prolene suture.  Completing the anastomosis, we tacked down the mammary artery pedicle to the epicardium with two 6-0 Prolene suture to the circumflex system on its inferior side.

Hot shot of warm oxygenated blood cardioplegia solution was given.  We completed the two anastmoses.

With this done, the patient was placed in the Trendelenburg position.  A Valsalva maneuver was performed.  The heart was allowed to fill and the aortic crossclamp was cracked and released, de-airing the patient’s heart through the cardioplegia delivery site in the ascending aorta, keeping it under gentle suction.  The heart fibrulated at this time and was cardioverted to an idioventricular rhythm.  We placed left and 2 mediastinal chest tubes as well as two atrial and two ventricular pacing wires, slowly weaning the patient from bypass without complications in sinus rhythm on no inotropic support.  Off bypass, we found excellent indices with an EKG which showed no evidence of ischemia.  After all pump blood was reinfused, we decannulated the patient in routine fashion., oversewed all cannulation sites, and gave Protamine for systemic anticoagulation.  I inspected the Y graft.  The anastomoses were found to be hemostatic and cannulation sites finding them to be hemostatic.  I closed the pericardium loosely to mediastinal tissues, rewired the sternum, and closed the wound in routine fashion after all layers were irrigated with antibiotic solution.  The lower extremity for harvest of the saphenous vein graft conduit for bypass with endoscopic technique was closed in routine fashion.  The patient tolerated the procedure well and brought to the Open Heart Unit in stable condition in sinus rhythm on no inotropic support.  No blood was given during the operative procedure.

Thank you Dr. Phillips and everyone who saved my life 5 years ago.

Posted in Cancer, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Side Effects, The Heart
17 Apr 2013

Thursday, April 17, 2018


*** note – the following is a re-telling of the events leading up to my double bypass surgery, approaching my fifth anniversary, tomorrow.

It was a long overnight.  I could not sleep at all.  It had been nearly eighteen years since the last time I had seen an operating room.

Wendy’s sister had come by the house  as she would sit with Wendy in the waiting room while I had catheterization to place a stint, or stints where my cardiologist felt there were blockages.  He would go up through the vein in my groin.

We arrived at the hospital and I was greeted by Heather, my nurse, and soon joined by two others.  They were all so nice.  Evidently I was giving off quite a bit of fear.  I got changed into the wonderful hospital garb, and then another one of those blasted catheter lines was inserted.

My gourney was then rolled to a holding area, where I met my anesthesiologist as well as Dr. S my cardiologist.  I made my final pleas to everyone.  “I had cancer.  I had radiation and chemotherapy.  I have no spleen.  I just needed you to know that.”  I have no idea why these comments rolled off of my tongue at that particular moment.

That is all I remember of that moment.  The next thing I remember is silly, sad, and serious.

Dr. S:  We got in with the catheter and we found the blockage.  Unfortunately, it is clear that your husband had some lasting side effects from the radiation he was exposed to.  We were not able to stint.  There is a major blockage of the LAD along with two other blockages.

Just then, a friend who had stopped by to visit me, offered her commentary.

Friend:  Oh my God, it’s a widowmaker!

Dr. S.:  Well, yes, we don’t usually like to call it that, but yes, that is what it is.

Me:  Widowmaker?  What?

Dr. S.:  We have Paul set up for emergency triple bypass tomorrow morning at 6:30am.

Me:  Bypass?  Bypass?!?  Bye Bye.  Bypass.

Yes, I was still coming out of the anesthesia.  That is all I made out.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wendy sink, just collapse as if her skeleton had been removed from her body.

The next five hours were just a blur.  I know I had gotten up to walk a little as I was encouraged to do.  Although my left leg had begun to swell at the insertion point from the catheterization.  It was 8:00 when I finally realized what was going to happen.  I still had not eaten, and I was going to be fasted in four hours.

But now, an orderly was in my room to take me for pre-surgical tests:  echocardiogram, EKG, and an ultrasound on my legs, to find what vein to harvest for the bypass.  I was returned back to my room around 11:00pm.  I could not sleep at all.

The next few hours, I would have several visitors stop by, encouraging me to sleep.  One visitor, who happened to resemble Michael Clark Duncan in shape and appearance, came into my room at 3:00am, to “prep” me.  So now, the most uncomfortable moment with a razor was going to be a new moment.

At 4:00am, I rang for my nurse.

Me:  Is it possible for me to be taken down to the chapel?  I have a few things I would like to take care of.

Nurse:  Really?  You need to do it now?  They are probably going to come for you in the next hour or so.

And so, the nurse rolled me downstairs to the chapel.

When I came back to my room, “Michael Clarke Duncan” was waiting for me.  It was time.

Posted in Cancer, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Side Effects, The Heart | Leave a comment
15 Apr 2013
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5 Year Countdown April 15, 2008-2013


This story is a summary of my experience with having to have emergency heart surgery, and the recovery.  The next three days will recount in clear detail, the same three days 5 years ago.  Coincidentally, both my father and I have severe doctor appointments that day.

CABbaGe – Not Just A Green Leafy Vegetable

I have never been a vegetable eater.  I will eat carrots and corn, but when it comes to anything green, not a chance.  So, ears of those who know me, perk up when they hear me proclaim how grateful I am for having “cabbage”.  As I don’t normally wear v-neck collars, just to look at me, one would never suspect that I am a survivor of heart bypass surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or simply, CABG.

          Twenty years earlier, my body and soul had already been through a life-threatening battle with cancer, Hodgkin’s Disease.  It may be arrogance to have assumed that I should never be put through something traumatic again.  I had done my time.  I had already proven that “it can happen to me”.  I should have been safe being able to say “it will never happen to me – again”.  In true déjà vu fashion, from start to finish, I now faced another challenge.  But the difference this time, time was not on my side.  Time was clearly against me.

There I was, 42 years old and trying to stay, rather, get into shape.  I was slightly overweight (translation – really overweight), and not very active.  But for four months, I had been spending close to two hours a day, five days a week at the gym, and making great progress.  But for those four months, I also had developed a symptom that I had ignored, not just at the gym, but everywhere else that I was exerting physical stress on my body.  It was a tightness across my chest which lasted only several seconds into my workout.  I was not worried as it was not excruciating pain as described by people who have had heart attacks.

I spoke to my family doctor of twenty years. She made comments of my cancer history, and current physical being, but made the suggestion to undergo a nuclear stress test with a cardiologist just for giggles.  Of course, just as in my Hodgkin’s past, I was not putting two and two together.  Though I knew what a cardiologist was, I did not realize that was the direction she was sending me in.  At age 22, I had no idea what an oncologist was either.

I arrived at the cardiologist’s office, naïve, dressed in shorts, sneakers and having all kinds of wires attached to me.  A dye was injected into me, and the tech took the first set of pictures.  No big deal.  No bells and whistles went off.  Then the tech showed me to the treadmill.  While I did not anticipate a marathon on the mechanical track, I did expect to go longer than three minutes.  The test had been stopped as something appeared on the EKG.  But still, I did not suspect anything.  One more set of pictures, then it was back to the waiting room.

Then I watched people leave who came in after me.  I had done that drill twenty years before when I was diagnosed with my Hodgkin’s so I now knew something was going to be wrong.  I met the cardiologist who drew the short straw getting me for a patient.  He was young and had a nice bedside manner, and confidence.  He was certain that I had a blockage, and he wanted me to check in next door to the hospital for catheterization the next day.  I would be good as new with a stint and back to my grind within a week.

For the second time in my life, I would face Elsabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance).  Unlike with my cancer diagnosis, I skipped right past the denial and anger.  “Doc, look, I’ve got some things I need to take care contractually with some clients.  I’ll get back to you in a few weeks when things slow down.  I’m disc jockeying a wedding this weekend and have two gigs the following weekend.”  His response?  “Mr. Edelman, perhaps you don’t understand, I don’t want you even going home.”  The bargaining kicked into high gear.  “Look, I need to go home, and explain this stuff to my wife and make sure that she knows everything she is going to have to take care of with the kids and the house, and everything else.”  Dr. S. said, “Okay, fine.  But I don’t want you to do anything other than go home and rest.”  Then I backstepped into the denial.  “So I can’t even mow my lawn which needs to be done?  Mowing is relaxing to me.”  You can finish that conversation with what you think he might have said after that.  Let’s just say in kind words, my intelligence had been questioned.

The next morning, my wife drove me to the hospital.  As I came out of the anesthesia, there was Dr. S along with my wife, and a co-worker who stopped by just to visit.  “Our attempt to stint was unsuccessful.  It seems that some of the therapies that were used to treat your husband’s Hodgkin’s, over time have caused some severe damage to his cardiac system.  Your husband has been set up for emergency bypass surgery first thing in the morning.  He has three blockages but of the most concern is the left anterior descending artery which is 90% blocked.”  I do not recall my wife’s reaction but she told me of her knees buckling under her while I lay coming out of the anesthesia babbling “bypass… okay… bye bye… bypass… see ya in the morning…cool… bye bye bypass.”  But I will never forget my co-worker’s words.  As an EMT, she immediately knew what was happening and commented, “Oh my God, it’s a widowmaker.”  To which Dr. S responded, “simply put, yes.”  Blood was being restricted to my heart 90%.  It was not a question of “if” I would drop dead from a fatal heart attack, but “when.”  Dr. S. called me an “extremely lucky man” that I actually prevented my heart attack from occurring.  Okay Doc, you got my attention.  On to acceptance.  The easy part about that, was that I had less than twelve hours to worry and be frightened.  However I was still coming out of the anesthesia, and then for the next many hours, underwent many pre-surgical tests.  I did not have a lot of time to think about what was happening to me.

And so, the next morning, I would have my first experience with “cabbage”, CABG.  There are a lot more details to this event.  But the long story short, I now owe my life to something that sounds so similar to something that I have avoided my whole life, cabbage.  And no, I still do not eat it.

Posted in Cancer, Inspired By..., Side Effects, The Heart

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