Health Talk: An advertising supplement to The Morning Journal Submitted by Mercy Regional Medical Center
Last fall, Lorain County resident Frank Davoli thought he was experiencing an anxiety attack. He had no reason to think otherwise. At 79, he had never dealt with a major illness. To be on the safe side, he decided to go to Mercy’s emergency room to get checked out. It didn’t take long for physicians to determine several of Frank’s coronary arteries were blocked and a heart valve was faulty.
Frank underwent double bypass surgery and a heart valve replacement performed by Cardiothoracic Surgeon Sam El-Dalati, MD.
During the surgery, Dr. El-Dalati took blood vessels from Frank’s leg and grafted them onto the existing heart; rerouting the blood around the blockage to restore normal blood flow. He then replaced the heart valve.
Making the decision to have the procedure done at Mercy was an easy one for Frank and his wife of 58 years, Rita.
‘We trusted the physicians at Mercy and wanted to be close to home,’ explained Frank. ‘From day one through post-surgery rehabilitation we received excellent care.’
Frank recovered in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), where he remained throughout his stay, rather than moving from unit to unit. This enabled him to receive care from critical care nurses throughout every stage of recovery. ‘The staff was excellent. They motivated me to get up and moving after surgery,’ said Frank.
The personalized care did not stop once the Davolis left the hospital. A Mercy home healthcare professional came to their house to ensure Frank’s recovery continued.
‘For weeks they came every day to make sure I was comfortable changing the dressings on Frank’s legs, was administering the correct medication and that we were making the transition to normal daily living,’ said Rita. ‘They went above and beyond the call of duty.’
Before the surgery, Frank suffered from high blood pressure and was a type 2 diabetic. Today, he is off his blood pressure medication and has his diabetes under control. He’s also lost 50 pounds. He attributes his success to Mercy. He and Rita attend weekly education classes to learn about important topics like proper nutrition and exercise.
He’s also been going to cardiac rehabilitation at Mercy Regional Medical Center regularly and plans to continue. ‘I had to change my entire lifestyle,’ said Frank. ‘I’ve made 36 visits to cardiac rehab and every time the registered nurse has been right there, monitoring my blood pressure and oxygen intake. I just turned 80 and I feel great!’
Soon, Frank will enter phase three of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Mercy Regional Medical Center. This enables him to continue to exercise just as he would at a neighborhood gym, but with the peace-of-mind of knowing he’s under the watchful eye of highly qualified caregivers should a problem ever arise.
‘Thanks to the care he received at Mercy, Frank’s finally back to his fun-loving self and doing all those things he used to love doing, like volunteering,’ explained Rita.
Over the years Frank, a retired Ford employee, has helped to spearhead a local toy drive. There are sure to be a lot of smiles on children’s faces this year as he has plans to organize the event again this fall. Beyond that, ‘I plan on motivating and encouraging others just like Mercy did for me,’ said Frank.
Mercy is proud to offer a full range of cardiac services close to home, from comprehensive cardiac surgeries, to the security of individualized, hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation at Mercy Regional Medical Center. For more information, please visit us online at http://www.mercyonline.org/heart.aspx or call 1-877-247-6161 today.
