When the door swung open and a lab technician pushed his wheelchair into what she thought was an exam room, Jean Jones wondered why there were so many people surrounding her.
Jean, a longtime television personality from Cleveland, Ohio, drove herself to Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital on a Monday morning in April 2023 when she simply felt a sore throat and nausea. was. Jean, who was 77 years old, healthy and active, thought she had contracted a “bug.” Jean said she noticed that one of her symptoms was a feeling of emptiness that seemed to emanate from her chest rather than her stomach, and she thought she might be having a heart attack. There was a touch of sex, she thought.
“While working as a volunteer with the American Heart Association, I was reminded that heart attacks in women don’t always have the symptoms you think,” Yang recalls. Outside. “
Jean says she has always lived an active lifestyle, including skiing. She was shocked to learn that her widow had experienced a heart attack. (Courtesy of Jean Jones)
Her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab. The care team that first examined her in her emergency department determined that Jean had indeed suffered a severe heart attack called an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), also known as a widow’s heart attack. I noticed it right away.
The emergency physician immediately called Code Crimson and alerted another clinical team, led by interventional cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Sharfstein, to assemble Post-Hurst in the cath lab. There, Yang underwent a life-saving procedure to open the blocked left anterior descending coronary artery, the heart’s most important blood vessel.
But as the team was efficiently preparing her for surgery, Ms. Yang knew nothing of it when Dr. Sharfstein approached her. According to Jean, she calmly stated that they were all together because Jean was having a heart attack.
Jean has lived in Cleveland for many years. She enjoys supporting the Cleveland Guardians with her brother John and her sister-in-law Sarah. (Courtesy of Jean Jones)
Jean was shocked and clearly denied it, but asked, “Really?” She remembers Dr. Sharfstein “looking at me like I was dead, holding up her electrocardiogram report and saying, ‘Yes, you’re having a heart attack.'” And every minute counts! ”
Jean immediately relaxed and said, “I was in the right place and in very good hands. I had absolute confidence. I felt a sense of protection from those around me.”
Using a long, thin tube inserted through an artery and snaked up to the heart, Dr. Sharfstein guided a thin, steerable wire to the specific area where the left anterior descending coronary artery had suddenly been blocked. He inflated a small balloon to remove the blockage, which consisted of atherosclerotic plaque and blood clots, used a vacuum-like device to remove the debris, and then inserted a stent to widen the artery.
Just 59 minutes after Jean arrived at the hospital, the balloon was inflated. The clinical team completed the “door-to-balloon” time well within the national guidelines maximum of 90 minutes. A few days later, Jean returned home. Several months later, after extensive cardiac rehabilitation, Yang felt his health had been regained.
Jan was recognized for her work in the community. Jean and his son J (left) receive the Chagrin Valley Community Builder Award. Lifebanc Over the Edge — Jean (right) participates in a fundraiser to raise awareness of the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. (Courtesy of Jean Jones)
Dr. Sharfstein says: “Time is a muscle. The longer blood flow through the heart arteries is blocked, the more likely parts of the heart muscle will die, and the muscle will never regain its function.” , we perform such a quick, well-coordinated ballet and an emergency dash to the cath lab.”
Fortunately, Jean suffered little permanent damage to his heart. Thanks to her prompt intervention and continued use of prescription medications, her heart’s ejection fraction, a measurement of the heart’s ability to pump blood to the body, has increased from 34% during her heart attack to cardiac rehabilitation. Later her increased to 70%. Dr. Sharfstein added, “She has almost completely restored her heart function. She is incredibly active.”
Jean is well-versed in heart health-related issues, having co-hosted numerous Cleveland-based television shows throughout her decades-long career. Her father suffered a heart attack before his death. Additionally, her late husband, plastic surgeon Dr. Sherry Ertz, underwent two heart transplants at the Cleveland Clinic. Together they served on the board of Lifebank, an organ procurement organization.
Jan and her late husband, Dr. Sherry Ertz, and nine grandchildren. (Courtesy of Jean Jones)
After Sherry passed away in 2017, Jan made a generous donation to the Cleveland Clinic in Sherry’s memory to support heart disease and transplant research. In addition, she volunteered her time hosting fundraising events for the American Heart Association and Transplant House of Cleveland. Jean describes her active lifestyle and the satisfaction she gets from helping others. Except now, I get paid to be kind. ”
Her appeal to other women, especially those who put the needs and well-being of others above their own, is to not neglect their health. Learn about the warning signs of heart attack in women, which are often different than in men. Women are less likely to experience discomfort like chest pain or indigestion, and more likely to experience shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, and even insomnia that starts long before a heart attack.
“Put yourself first, especially when it comes to your health. Taking care of yourself means eating healthy, watching your weight, being active and having fun, and asking for help when you need it.” If you are kind to yourself, you will be the best for others.”
Affiliated institutions: Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Research Institute (Miller Family)
