Heart Health Alert: Man scheduled for hip replacement ends with quadruple bypass surgery

A conversation a Manhattan resident had with his orthopedic surgeon a few days before his total hip replacement surgery led to a startling discovery. about his heart.

David Holland, 57, said that his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Vladimir Shur, Ph.D. in NYCdecided to postpone Holland’s operation after finding Holland’s heart murmur.

Despite Holland’s assurances that he had noise since childhood and had no symptoms of heart disease, the surgeon insisted that he be checked out before the operation.

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Holland told Fox News Digital that before the hip problem, he was active – he played hockey and tennis in his 30s. It was hip pain, not a heart problem, that limited his activity level, he said.

“I took statins for high cholesterolbut other than that, I had no idea anything was wrong,” he said.

David Holland during a hospital stay in the fall of 2022.  He said that he took statins for high cholesterol - "but other than that I had no idea that anything was wrong," He said.

David Holland during his hospital stay in the fall of 2022. He said he was taking statins because of his high cholesterol, “but other than that, I had no idea anything was wrong,” he said. (David Holland and Melanie Seymour)

“It’s so surreal,” he said.

He added: “I’m happy to be alive.”

Holland said that Dr. Schur, FAAOS (Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons), did not want to perform the operation without seeing a cardiologist, especially since Holland several family members with a history of heart attacks and a history of high cholesterol.

“The patient should be examined from a medical point of view.”

“I thought it was overkill — it just never had any problems,” Holland said. “I thought he was too careful.”

Schuur told Fox News Digital that as an orthopedic trauma and joint replacement surgeon, he thinks it’s important to be thorough.

“I don’t just put metal in a patient,” he said.

“The patient should be examined from a medical point of view,” he said, noting that “it is very important to make sure that the patient suitable for surgery before it’s too late.”

David Holland thought he was going to have a hip replacement.  Instead, he underwent a quadruple bypass.  He trusts his doctors for their "seamless" teamwork on his operation and for potentially saving his life.

David Holland thought he was going to have a hip replacement. Instead, he underwent a quadruple bypass. He thanks his doctors for their “perfect” collaboration on his operation and for potentially saving his life. (David Holland & Melanie Seymour/iStock)

Schur sent Holland to the doctor. Maurice Rachko, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, performed a simple, non-invasive test called a calcium screening test.

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A normal calcium test is less than 10 milligrams (mg) of calcium per deciliter of blood (dL). Holland scored 2060 points.

The angiogram revealed that Holland had four blocked coronary arteries in his heart.

This result led Holland to Dr. John Fox, Interventional Cardiologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital.

He performed an angiogram, which showed that Holland had four blocked coronary arteries in his heart. Holland shared that Dr. Fox told him that the coronary arteries were so blocked that doctors couldn’t use stents.

Dr. Fox quickly consulted a doctor. John Puskas, chair of cardiovascular surgery at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital on New York’s Upper West Side, where Holland had surgery days after the angiogram.

"I treated my hip, but instead I had heart surgery," said David Holland of New York Fox News Digital.

“I was getting a hip treatment and instead had heart surgery,” New York’s David Holland told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“I was treating my hip and had heart surgery instead,” Holland said.

He added: “The teamwork between the doctors was impeccable.”

non-invasive procedure

The test that raised the red flag is called Screening heart test for calcium.

This is a non-invasive procedure that involves inserting a drip into the arm and quickly undergoing a CT scan that measures calcium deposits in the heart’s coronary arteries, cardiologists told Fox News Digital.

Assessment of calcium levels is a “big breakthrough” in terms of screening for heart disease.

A higher coronary calcium suggests that a person has a higher risk of narrowing of the coronary arteries and an increased risk of a heart attack in the future, according to cardiologists.

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Puskas said in an interview that calcium testing is a “big breakthrough” in terms of screening for heart disease.

“The latest CT scanners have relatively low radiation, so this is really a very gentle, non-invasive test. It has a very high predictive value for identifying patients with severe coronary artery occlusions before they become symptomatic.”

Dr. Puskas said patients often think they don’t have symptoms because they don’t recognize the symptoms, and in some cases they even mistake heart pain for heartburn associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Др.  Джон Пушкаш (слева) и пациент Дэвид Холланд. " [cardiac]<strong> </strong>The calcium scale is a very objective way to identify these patients and refer them to treatment before they have a major heart attack." said dr.  pieces “/></source></source></source></source></picture></div>
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Dr. John Puskas (left) and patient David Holland. ” [cardiac] The calcium scale is a very objective way to identify these patients and refer them to treatment before they have a major heart attack,” said Dr. Puskas. (Morning side of Mount Sinai)

“GERD is actually angina. It’s heartache, not heartburn. It does not come from the stomach.

Pushkas added: [cardiac] the calcium index is a very objective way to identify these patients and refer them for treatment. before they have a big heart attack. It’s one thing to have a heart attack and then have a coronary bypass surgery. Much better to have a coronary bypass instead of heart attack to prevent that heart attack.”

“It’s kind of the newest and best way to do coronary artery bypass surgery.”

He concluded: “This is indeed the main advantage of coronary surgery. It is to prevent a heart attack.”

Puskas said CT scanners are becoming more and more sophisticated.

“We now there are CT scanners this will tell us not only how much calcium is in the coronary arteries, but also how tight the blockages are in the coronary arteries.”

Puskas also said that Holland underwent a unique open-heart surgery that is rarely performed in the United States.

Dr.  John Puskas (left) and patient David Holland undergoing a unique quadruple bypass in November 2022.

Dr. John Puskas (left) and patient David Holland undergoing a unique quadruple bypass in November 2022. (Morning side of Mount Sinai)

Holland underwent a “totally arterial, no aortic contact, quadruple bypass without cardiopulmonary bypass,” he said. According to a cardiovascular specialist, less than 1% of patients in the United States have this surgery.

According to him, the heart is not stopped during the operation. No heart-lung machine is used, and the aorta (the large artery in the chest near the heart) is not clamped during the procedure.

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Avoiding clamping of the aorta during surgery stroke risk is decreasing, the surgeon explained to Fox News Digital.

This type of surgery reconnects arteries from the patient’s chest and one from the arm to provide blood flow to the heart, instead of using veins removed from the legs.

Puskas also said that this type of surgery actually ties off the arteries from the patient’s chest and one from the arm to help provide blood flow to the heart, rather than using veins cut off from the legs.

“This is kind of the newest and best way to do coronary artery bypass surgery. It is very different from the operation that was developed in the 70s and is still the most common way to perform it,” he said.

A cardiac surgeon explained the benefits of using an artery over an artery. venous grafts for coronary artery bypass grafting, especially in young patients.

Dr.  John Puskas (left) and cardiologist David Holland from New York.  Holland said he is recovering well from surgery last November.

Dr. John Puskas (left) and cardiologist David Holland from New York. Holland said he is recovering well from surgery last November. (Morning side of Mount Sinai)

“We know that arteries last longer than veins. Arteries are designed for high pressure environments. The veins are designed for low pressure environments. [them] to the heart, they’re in a high pressure situation right now – and they don’t last as long as the arteries.”

According to Puskas, vein grafts wear out in ten years.

“Half the veins will close in 10 years. It’s okay if you’re 77. But [this patient is] 57. Therefore, we want to give him an operation that will last decades.”

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Holland said he is recovering well from surgery last November. “I went on Monday and [was] home on Thursday,” he said.

Within a week, he “could walk a mile and a half without stopping,” he proudly said.

He credits Dr. Shur, potentially saving his life due to his thoroughness.

“The safety of our patients is our top priority.”

Schur, an orthopedic surgeon, said the surgery puts stress on the body and “so anything, noise or shortness of breath, I take it seriously.”

He added: “The safety of our patients is our top priority.”

Schur credits his keen senses and thoroughness to teaching trauma patients at the University of Maryland at the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center.

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As for Holland, he hopes his story will raise others’ awareness of the importance of getting tested for heart disease, even if people don’t think they have any signs or symptoms. (He has not yet had hip replacement surgery.)

Ischemic heart disease – no. 1 killer of people, the doctor said. pieces He suggested that those who have classic risk factors for coronary heart disease, including a family history of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol (being overweight and smoking are also risk factors) Ask your doctor about a calcium test.

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He also noted that diet and exercise are important in preventing heart disease.

“Diet and exercise are no substitutes. No pill can replace that,” he said.