“Life will throw you obstacles, but how you respond will truly define you”
The Mixsons
Cardiac rehab
Fort Worth, TX, Aug. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For Hunter Mixson, playing football felt as natural as breathing. However, less than a minute into the game, the normally poised 30-year-old felt a tightness in his chest. Distraught, Mixson struggled to run before suddenly collapsing from a life-threatening heart condition known as acute coronary syndrome, or SCAD.
After five days at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, where he underwent a heart catheterization, “coronary artery bypass surgery”, Mixon is participating in several weeks of heart rehabilitation.
“I’m young and healthy, and I was dealing with something I’ve never heard before,” Mixson said.
Although SCAD can affect adults of any age, it most commonly occurs in women in their 40s and 50s, and especially those who are considered healthy. Unlike a normal heart attack, where a clot blocks blood flow to the heart, SCAD occurs when bleeding or a lesion causes a tear in the artery wall, which then widens and reduces blood flow to the heart. in the vein, according to American Heart. Association (AHA).
Heartburn symptoms ─ chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness ─ sometimes mimic other health conditions, such as acid reflux or muscle spasms, said Brendan Reagan, MD, a specialist in interventional heart on the medical staff at Texas Health Fort Worth.
Reagan emphasized: “Seeking medical treatment right away can be the difference in reducing heart damage, or even the difference between life and death.”
Getting special heart care
After Mixson’s co-workers called 911, paramedics took him to Texas Health Fort Worth. Bill Reed, BSN, RN, an ICU nurse at the hospital, said Mixson showed signs of a heart attack but had some abnormalities. His chest pain and breathing would soon return to normal. Even Mixson’s echocardiogram, an ultrasound device that produces images of the heart, showed no signs of blockage in his arteries.
The care team decided that cardiac catheterization was necessary.
“That’s when they saw my nerves taken out. It’s also when I heard SCAD for the first time,” Mixson said.
Carlos Macias, MD, a cardiac surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Health Fort Worth, said Mixson’s condition was critical. Tears in two of his veins were cutting off blood flow to his heart. Doctors decided that the best course of action was neurosurgery.
“Mr. Mixson had severe tears in the arteries surrounding the entire heart muscle. It was life threatening and needed to be addressed immediately,” Macias said.
After removing a blood vessel from Mixson’s right leg, called a graft, Macias rerouted blood from two ruptured arteries and returned blood to his heart.
Mixson said he is thankful for so many people at Texas Health Fort Worth. “From the staff who delivered my food to the doctors and surgeons who helped save my life, they were amazing. My nurse, Bill Reed, is truly my hero,” she said. power. He was very careful, and he treated me like I was the only person there.”
Rebuilding confidence after SCAD
Mixson is looking forward to getting a license to perform heart surgery later this month.
Cardiac rehab provides more than just physical conditioning after a heart attack, said Reagan, a Mixson cardiologist and member of Texas Health Heart and Vascular Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group*.
“It gives patients confidence that they can continue to exercise safely without damaging their heart.”
Mixson has been playing soccer since he was 4 years old, and is grateful to be back on the field.
“Life will throw you obstacles, but the way you respond is what really defines the way you live. I’m here, and despite the big obstacle, I’m still doing what I love.”
To learn how Texas Health is advancing cardiovascular care throughout North Texas, click here.
*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group are in private practice and are not employees or representatives of Texas Health Resources hospitals.
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For images and accompanying video, please contact Chandra Caradine.
About Texas Health Resources:
Texas Health Resources is a faith-based, nonprofit health system that cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. With a service area of 16 counties and more than 7 million people, the system is committed to providing quality care, coordinated through its Texas Health Physicians Group and 29 hospital locations under Texas Health Presbyterian flags, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Texas. Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Huguley. Texas health care facilities and services, from acute care hospitals and depression centers to outpatient centers and home health and preventive services, provide a comprehensive care process for all stages of life. The system has more than 4,100 licensed hospital beds, 6,400 licensed physicians on active staff and approximately 29,000 employees. For more information about Texas Health, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.
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CONTACT: Chandra L. Caradine Texas Health Resources chandracaradine@texashealth.org
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