ER Visit Prevents "Widowmaker" Heart Attack 24 Hours Before Couple’s Trip
Mark Flannagan was helping his daughter Kara with a simple house project when she noticed he was out of breath. He and his wife, Karla, were leaving the next day for an extended trip to Arizona, and Kara was concerned.
While Mark took off for the hardware store to grab some supplies, Kara called her mom and said, “I know you and Dad are leaving tomorrow, but his breathing is a little labored.”
“I’d noticed that, too,” Karla recalls “I also felt like Mark seemed more tired than usual. Hearing someone else notice these things made it apparent he needed to address his health before we traveled.”
When Mark returned, they urged him to go to the emergency room to make sure his symptoms weren’t something more serious.
“I remember telling Karla, ‘We’re leaving tomorrow,’” Mark says. “And she said, ‘We might still be leaving tomorrow, but it would be best to get checked and have peace of mind.’ Our daughter mentioned UnityPoint Health opened an ER in Marion, so that’s where we went.”
Around-the-Clock Expertise: St. Luke's Marion ER Steps Up in Time
The UnityPoint Health emergency room in Marion opened in August 2024. It’s a full-service ER, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. Board-certified emergency medicine providers from East Central Iowa Acute Care staff both the Marion ER and UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids, St. Luke’s ER, along with a dedicated team of nurses, patient care technicians and other healthcare professionals.
“The care was terrific,” Karla says. “We walked in, and they took Mark to a room immediately and worked to identify what was going on.”
“Mark presented with exceptional chest pain and fatigue,” says Emma Wandro, DO, ER physician. “We recommended he go to St. Luke’s Hospital for further cardiac work-up.”
Seamless Heart Care: From ER Diagnosis to Stent Placement
“They determined he wasn’t having a heart attack, which was a relief to hear,” Karla says. “While we were glad to receive this news, we didn’t want to leave for Arizona and be nearly 2,000 miles away from family, or our local hospital, if something serious developed later.”
Mark’s father died at age 61 from a massive heart attack. Because of his family history, he’s worked with his doctor to keep close tabs on his health. He’s been treated for high cholesterol for about 30 years, too.
“I’ve also had various heart tests through the years. However, this time, I was having more intermittent chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue,” Mark says.
As suggested by his ER physician, Mark was transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital.
“Because of Mark’s persistent symptoms, previous testing and family history, we proceeded with a heart catheterization,” Cardiologist Subhi Halawa, MD says.
“During this procedure, we use something called instantaneous wave-free ratio (IFR), which identifies how much a blockage in the heart’s arteries is affecting blood flow. It helps us determine if this blockage needs to be fixed with a stent or not. Mark had a lot of calcium buildup (blockage) in his left anterior descending artery (LAD), and we placed a stent.”
A blocked LAD can lead to a widowmaker, a sudden, severe and often deadly heart attack.
“I feel fortunate it was identified before I had a heart attack and suffered heart damage,” Mark says.
“The LAD is the main descending vessel that supplies almost 50% of the blood to the heart,” Dr. Halawa says.
“When it’s blocked, even partially like in Mark’s case, it significantly affects the heart’s ability to function properly. It can result in death, but we caught it early and were able to fix it.”
Mark stayed one night at St. Luke’s. He and Karla were able to take their long-awaited trip out west thanks to the peace of mind Cedar Rapids’ Heart Hospital provided.
“Everything was taken care of quickly,” Karla says. “From our visit to the ER, transfer to St. Luke’s and Mark’s heart procedure, no matter what it was — housekeeping, the nurses or doctors — we couldn't have had a better experience all around. They were efficient, kind and welcoming. Mark was in and out of the hospital in 24 hours. We were impressed.”
Now back from Arizona, the couple shares they were able to hike up to 12 miles a day. They’re grateful for the exceptional care Mark received, which allowed them to enjoy their trip without reservation, knowing he received world-class care close to home.