At 73-years-old, Patrick considered himself pretty healthy for his age. Besides a prostate surgery in 2017, he didn’t have any major issues. He spent his free time at his local gym, walking and doing rowing exercises. 

“I've not had any kind of problems or anything. I'd get out of breath sometimes walking. I never had any kind of chest pains or any kind of symptoms,” said Patrick.

His primary care physician, Dr. Mark Dyer, CHI St. Vincent Internal Medicine, recommended Patrick enroll in the HeartSmart Screening Program as a preventative measure, considering his age. 

In the HeartSmart Screening Program, a series of tests is run to identify any cardiovascular health risks. Patients, like Patrick, are able to gain greater insight into their true heart health and detect any early signs of heart disease in a single visit. 

“It was really simple,” said Patrick.

The screenings performed include a Lipid Panel and Hemoglobin A1C, Blood Pressure Evaluation, Body Mass Index, Heart Attack Risk Assessment (ASCVD), Electrocardiography (EKG/ECG), ABI Peripheral Artery Disease Assessment and Cardiac Calcium Scoring CT Scan.

Patrick said everything came back normal except the CT Scan which revealed some significant blockage. 

“I was in the 95th percentile, the bad way. A good score is zero, mine was like 3200,” said Patrick. 

Upon receiving the results of his HeartSmart screening, the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute contacted Patrick to schedule an appointment with one of their cardiologists, Dr. Scott Rypkema. Within days of meeting with Dr. Rypkema, a heart cath was scheduled. Patrick said he assumed he’d have some stents put in, but Dr. Rypkema found the blockage would required surgery.

On September 18, 2023, Dr. Kenneth Howell, CHI St. Vincent Cardiovascular Surgeon, performed a triple bypass on Patrick’s heart. 

“Based on the amount of blockage I had, I was walking around like a little bit of a ticking time bomb. I'm glad I did it and appreciate Dr. Dyer for recommending that. I'm glad this was available. I feel very fortunate,” said Patrick. 

Patrick said right after surgery he was pretty weak. Once he was at home recovering, he was able to start building up his stamina. He had nurses and therapists come to his house to help him work on range of movement with two pound weights, stretches, and simple exercises. He also went from small walks around his house to walks down his driveway. 

“I've never had any kind of major pain. I just figured to get your chest split open, it's gonna be terrible, but it was not at all, which surprised me,” Patrick explained. 

He said his main concern at this point was being able to get back to the gym.

About two weeks into recovery, Dr. Rypkema recommended CHI St. Vincent’s Cardiac Rehab program. Through this program, medically trained staff help heart surgery patients recover from surgery by developing workout routines that are challenging, but don't negatively affect the heart while it is still healing from surgery. Cardiac monitoring equipment is used so both the staff and patient feel confident during the workout.

“They told me all about it and I thought I'd come check it out because they're monitoring everything and it's really been great. I really enjoy it. They push you, but it's very beneficial. They’ve got a treadmill, stationary bike machines and light weights,” said Patrick, “I definitely work up a sweat.”

In his early rehab days, Patrick said he’d do about 8-10 minutes either on the treadmill or a stationary bike. As his stamina increased, so did the time and intensity of his workouts. The progress is slow, but steady.

Patrick said he’s hooked up to an EKG machine and his blood pressure is read before and after a workout. A comfort he said he knows wouldn’t have happened at his regular gym. The therapists are also there for emotional support as sometimes recovery seems never ending. 

“Just keep a positive attitude about it and know it's not going to happen overnight. Follow their recommendations and it slowly gets better. I'm not running any marathons, but I feel great now,” said Patrick.

Half a year out from his triple bypass surgery and Patrick has about six more classes until he gets to graduate from the CHI St. Vincent Cardiac Rehab Program. He laughed as he talked about graduating from something at his age. 

A laugh and life he’s very grateful for because of his doctor that led him to the CHI St. Vincent HeartSmart Screening Program.

“I just recommend it to everybody, whether or not you have any kind of problems. If you have problems, definitely go get screened or checked out. You'll find out if you don't have any problem, and if you do, they can catch it ahead of time and do preventive stuff,” said Patrick.