Mercy Electrophysiologist Gives Heart Patient Her Life Back
With no history of heart problems, Gladys Drtina assumed she had COVID-19 when she had trouble breathing. To be safe, she visited MercyCare Marion Urgent Care to get checked out.
After some concerning vitals, the MercyCare Marion team recommended she have additional testing at Mercy Medical Center. The provider gave her a baby aspirin and told her an ambulance would be arriving soon to transport her.
She was in disbelief that the issue was with her heart.
After meeting with Mercy Cardiologist Rohan Penmetcha, DO, in Mercy’s Emergency Department, tests showed Gladys’ heart did not have blockages, but it did have electrical issues. She also tested positive for COVID-19.
Gladys was experiencing atrial fibrillation (Afib), which is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat, causing the heart to beat quickly or irregularly. In Afib, disorganized electrical signals originate in the heart’s upper chambers. Because contractions are not coordinated as in the normal heartbeat, the heart doesn’t pump blood effectively to the rest of the body. Afib is not usually life-threatening, but if left untreated, can lead to numerous health complications, including stroke.
Through the use of a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), Mercy Electrophysiologist Mark Milton, MD, could see where Gladys’ heart needed to be repaired. Then, through cardioversion – a medical procedure that uses quick, low-energy shocks – Gladys’ heart was able to sync back into a healthy, normal rhythm again.
Until it didn’t.
Sadly, Gladys’ husband passed away shortly after her cardioversion procedure. Soon after, her heart was beating out of rhythm again, which is not uncommon for those with Afib. As a result, she had difficulty breathing and could barely walk up stairs or put away groceries.
With the recent passing of her husband, Gladys needed to put her mental health first and travel to a familiar home-away-from-home in Texas. While down south, she tried seeing a heart specialist, but decided she wanted to come back to her trusted healthcare home at Mercy.
“Dr. Milton is phenomenal; I can’t praise him enough,” Gladys said. “I knew I could trust him. He is thorough, kind and explains everything."
Throughout the next several months with a few medication changes and ablation procedures – burning parts of the pulmonary veins, as well as across the tricuspid heart valve to break up the electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats – Gladys’ heart was beating normally.
“I could breathe again,” Gladys said. “Dr. Milton gave me my life back.”
Throughout the process, Gladys took medications to help her heart keep its rhythm until it had healed. With her heart gaining strength, Dr. Milton was able to start removing medications one by one a few months after her last ablation procedure.
But, Gladys needed to be on a blood-thinning medication to ensure she didn’t develop blood clots. For an avid scrapbooker and quilter, this became a problem because one tiny paper cut or poke from a needle would produce more blood than expected.
Her current blood thinner was also very expensive.
After talking to Dr. Milton about these concerns, he told her about the WATCHMAN™ procedure, which is indicated for patients who have problems with blood thinners. After the WATCHMAN device would be placed, Gladys would most likely be able to stop taking blood thinners. She was instantly interested.
“The purpose of the WATCHMAN is to close off the left atrial appendage, which is where 90% of blood clots in atrial fibrillation develop,” Dr. Milton said. “This allows a person to stop blood thinners.”
In August 2023, Dr. Penmetcha completed the transesophageal echocardiogram and Dr. Milton performed the WATCHMAN procedure. With Dr. Milton’s experience with the WATCHMAN procedure, Gladys felt comfortable and trusted Dr. Milton’s skills.
Following the procedure, she had months of tests and follow-ups done, but the WATCHMAN changed Gladys’ life in one day.
The WATCHMAN was placed in less than two hours and, on that same day, Gladys was up and walking. Per Dr. Milton’s care plan, Gladys spent the night at Mercy.
It is recommended that patients take a blood-thinning medication for six months after the WATCHMAN is placed. During this time, the tissues surrounding the WATCHMAN can heal and grow around the device. Gladys was able to switch to a blood-thinning medication called Plavix® following the procedure, which has a lower risk of major bleeding. She was happy to be able to enjoy her hobbies again and was pleased that Plavix was less expensive.
Through her follow-up appointments and scans with Dr. Penmetcha and Dr. Milton, Gladys has received healthy reports. She will continue to meet with Dr. Penmetcha on a yearly basis and have a check-in with Dr. Milton this spring to take her off the blood-thinning medication altogether.
Because the WATCHMAN doesn’t treat Afib, but simply prevents Afib-related strokes, Dr. Milton will continue to monitor Gladys’ health and progress in the future.
“Everyone was so nice,” Gladys said. “I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Penmetcha, Dr. Milton and the hospital staff.”
Now, Gladys can walk up and down stairs without taking a break; unload her groceries without losing her breath; and easily scrapbook and quilt.
“It wasn’t an easy path getting to where I am at, but they were the best,” Gladys said. “The Plumb Heart Center is top-notch!”
Atrial fibrillation is a type of heart arrhythmia affecting more than 3 million people in the U.S. Learn about the signs and symptoms of Afib to see if you or a loved one may have it.
