UVA Heart and Vascular Center: Jim Rohan, Coronary Artery Disease Patient

UVA Heart and Vascular Center: Jim Rohan, Coronary Artery Disease Patient

UVA Heart and Vascular Center: Jim Rohan, Coronary Artery Disease Patient

UVA Heart and Vascular Center - http://heart.uvahealth.com/
Jim Rohan was never a smoker or a drinker, but he was losing his breath after one round of golf and felt fatigued. His weight was a concern for his doctor, so he was taken in for tests. Dr. Michael Ragosta diagnosed him with chronic total occlusion. Despite being incredibly difficult to treat, Dr. Ragosta has seen advances in the care for patients. Watch and learn about Jim Rohan’s journey with coronary artery disease.

It took time to become life threatening to me. I did not have a tightness in my chest or things that made me go, oh my god, I’m going to die. I had test results that said, oh my god, you’re going to die if you don’t take care of this. When I met with my doctor, he was uncomfortable with my family history. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, but I’ve always been overweight. And one of the things I noticed was when I golfed before the procedure, I would get tired around the 14th hole.

I got tired physically from swinging, I got tired with my grip on the clubs, and I just assumed that was because I’m getting older and I’m fat, and that’s what happens to everybody. My LAD was totally occluded, totally blocked. And the weight gain was the thing that actually made me think, wow, this is terribly serious and life threatening. That’s when it really made me think, I want this thing opened up, I want it fixed.

Anywhere from 20% 30% of patients with coronary disease will have a chronic total occlusion, what that means is that an artery is completely 100% block, and it’s been that way for a long time. Chronic total exclusions represent one of the most challenging subsets of patients. In general, the perception is that they’re very hard to treat and most cardiologists don’t bother, and so that leaves a whole subset of patients, up to 30%, that are inadequately treated or treated not to the optimal degree in terms of their symptom controls.

Just in my career, there’s been huge advances and for the first time we’re really able to offer patients who previously didn’t have great options, new treatments that can really make a difference in their lives.

As concerning as it was— and it was very concerning, I think my interaction with the doctor and him taking time to explain it really, really helped me prepare for everything that might happen. And my confidence level in him was as high as it gets. It’s like 48 minutes.

Yeah, that’s fantastic. Jim is just a tremendous success in terms of what we want to achieve with our cardiac patients.

Well, my next visit was at the six month mark. And by then, I had lost exactly 100 pounds.

I like to think that what we did was at least planted the seed and got him started. I almost didn’t recognize him, he looked so good and he looked like a new man.

I can’t imagine where I would be if I didn’t have this procedure done. It’s counter-intuitive that something so serious can be treated so easily and successfully. It was completely fixed. And a day and a half later, I’m playing golf. I’ve started a new chapter in my life, chapter 61. It was my gift to myself, to be able to run 6.1 miles. A mile for every decade when I turned 61 years old. I really didn’t think I was ever going to be able to do that again. Dr. Ragosta literally saved my life.


Content

0 -> [RUNNING SOUNDS]
2.435 ->
13.65 -> It took time to become life threatening to me.
18.33 -> I did not have a tightness in my chest or things
21.39 -> that made me go, oh my god, I'm going to die.
25.11 -> I had test results that said, oh my god, you're
28.59 -> going to die if you don't take care of this.
33.19 -> When I met with my doctor, he was
34.93 -> uncomfortable with my family history.
37.87 -> I don't smoke, I don't drink, but I've always
40.45 -> been overweight.
41.68 -> And one of the things I noticed was
44.32 -> when I golfed before the procedure,
46.72 -> I would get tired around the 14th hole.
50.89 -> I got tired physically from swinging,
53.71 -> I got tired with my grip on the clubs,
56.74 -> and I just assumed that was because I'm getting older
59.47 -> and I'm fat, and that's what happens to everybody.
64.269 -> My LAD was totally occluded, totally blocked.
69.34 -> And the weight gain was the thing
72.1 -> that actually made me think, wow, this is terribly serious
75.89 -> and life threatening.
78.52 -> That's when it really made me think,
82.226 -> I want this thing opened up, I want it fixed.
84.1 ->
87.85 -> Anywhere from 20% 30% of patients with coronary disease
91.229 -> will have a chronic total occlusion, what that means is
93.52 -> that an artery is completely 100% block,
96.52 -> and it's been that way for a long time.
99.31 -> Chronic total exclusions represent
100.81 -> one of the most challenging subsets of patients.
103.9 -> In general, the perception is that they're very hard to treat
107.08 -> and most cardiologists don't bother,
110.58 -> and so that leaves a whole subset of patients,
112.54 -> up to 30%, that are inadequately treated or treated
116.08 -> not to the optimal degree in terms of their symptom
118.96 -> controls.
120.4 -> Just in my career, there's been huge advances
123.682 -> and for the first time we're really
125.14 -> able to offer patients who previously didn't have
128.229 -> great options, new treatments that can really make
131.14 -> a difference in their lives.
134.3 -> As concerning as it was-- and it was very concerning,
138.59 -> I think my interaction with the doctor
140.36 -> and him taking time to explain it really,
143.97 -> really helped me prepare for everything that might happen.
148.19 -> And my confidence level in him was as high as it gets.
152.87 -> It's like 48 minutes.
154.07 -> Yeah, that's fantastic.
155.26 -> Jim is just a tremendous success in terms
157.79 -> of what we want to achieve with our cardiac patients.
161.69 -> Well, my next visit was at the six month mark.
164.36 -> And by then, I had lost exactly 100 pounds.
168.68 -> I like to think that what we did was at least planted the seed
172.28 -> and got him started.
173.66 -> I almost didn't recognize him, he looked so good
176.6 -> and he looked like a new man.
181.31 -> I can't imagine where I would be if I didn't
183.8 -> have this procedure done.
186.17 -> It's counter-intuitive that something so serious
189.92 -> can be treated so easily and successfully.
194.7 -> It was completely fixed.
197.81 -> And a day and a half later, I'm playing golf.
202.21 -> I've started a new chapter in my life, chapter 61.
208.46 -> It was my gift to myself, to be able to run 6.1 miles.
213.38 -> A mile for every decade when I turned 61 years old.
216.24 -> I really didn't think I was ever going
217.91 -> to be able to do that again.
220.93 -> Dr. Ragosta literally saved my life.
223.46 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]
226.51 ->

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMV3nCC3XhE