MedStar Health Newsroom

‘It Came On With No Warning’

Gloria and Francis Bean were walking on July 4 — a typical sticky summer day, like many in Southern Maryland — when, without warning, Francis went into cardiac arrest.

They’d just completed a walk around Francis’ brother’s farm: a pleasant routine for the Valley Lee couple. Francis typically joins his wife for an hour before Gloria completes another 30 minutes on her own.

The two stood chatting on Independence Day when, as Gloria recalls, Francis suddenly collapsed, grasping at his wife’s shirt as he fell. He was not breathing.

“There were no warning signs,” Francis says. “You know how, with heart attacks or cardiac events, there are symptoms or warnings? There were none.”

Gloria has spent 36 years as a registered nurse at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, but this patient in sudden distress was her husband. They were just a five-minute walk from their own home, but it might as well have been miles. “We didn’t take our cell phones,” she says.

Driven by adrenaline, Gloria began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): the technique of administering chest compressions and giving breaths to assist a person who has stopped breathing or is experiencing a cardiac event. CPR restores oxygenated blood flow to the vital organs by pumping blood through the body, and/or giving breaths to oxygenate the blood being pumped.

“I was probably out there for 15 minutes,” Gloria says, “but then I really thought I needed to get help.”

She sprinted to find her brother-in-law and call 911, then returned to continue CPR. It took an additional 10 minutes of mouth-to-mouth before first responders could arrive.

“You’ve never been so happy to see anyone in your life,” Gloria says.

Members of the Second District Fire Department and Rescue Squad — where Francis has also volunteered — revived him using a defibrillator. He was then transported to the Emergency Department at MedStar St. Mary’s, where he was seen by Dr. Daniel Geary, medical director of the Emergency Department, and the emergency staff before being flown to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

The Cardiac Catheterization Lab at the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute determined Francis had a 100 percent blockage in one artery. Surgery was required to clear it and place a stent to keep the artery open. Francis was able to be discharged after just two days with a LifeVest — a wearable defibrillator — providing protection and peace of mind while he recovered at home.

Three months later, Francis smiles at his wife of 35 years. The pair has four grown children and three grandchildren. How grateful they are that Gloria was by Francis’ side that day.

“It’s so important that CPR was started immediately. Your chances of recovery drop with every minute until help arrives,” he says.

Francis started a supervised exercise program at the Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at MedStar St. Mary’s, where his vital signs are monitored during low-impact routines. The intensity of his workouts has been gradually increased to safely return him to an active lifestyle.

The couple advocates strongly that everyone take a CPR course to be able to assist others in a crisis. At least 10 of the Beans’ family members have become certified since July.

“You never know when you’re going to need CPR,” says Gloria. “You think the skills aren’t going to come back to you, but they do. You never know whose life you’re going to save — it could be your loved one.”

Today, the Beans are back to walking again: an hour around the farm and home again.

“But we take a cell phone now,” Gloria smiles.

To learn more about cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, visit MedStarStMarys.org/GraceAnneDorney.

For CPR class availability and other opportunities at MedStar St. Mary’s, go to MedStarStMarys.org/Calendar.

Lucky To Be Alive

In mid-August, Jennifer’s husband drove her to the Emergency Department (ED) of MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis, a deadly infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and all too often, death.

“There was a point when I was in the Emergency Department and I remember feeling like I was not going to make it out of there. I have never felt so sick in all of my life,” said Jennifer, 49, who survived a battle with breast cancer 13 years ago.

A few days before she was admitted to the hospital, she noticed an infected, ingrown hair on her leg. She treated it and thought nothing more of it, but that small infection would lead to much bigger problems. Still recovering from a flu-like illness the previous week, she started to feel sicker over the weekend and stayed home from work Monday.

“I could not get out of bed,” Jennifer, a California, Md., resident said. “I stayed in bed all day Monday, and that’s not like me.” Tuesday, Jennifer went to work, but her symptoms worsened and she began having chills and uncontrollable shaking. Her coworkers called her husband who drove her to the hospital.

“The ED was full, but by the time my husband got back from parking the car, I was in a room and they were hooking up IVs,” Jennifer said.

When Jennifer arrived in the ED and was being triaged, the nurse recognized her symptoms and a Code Sepsis was called. In September 2016, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital instituted the Code Sepsis, a treatment protocol designed to quickly diagnosis sepsis patients so that life-saving medications can be started. Antibiotics are effective in battling sepsis, but because the infection spreads rapidly delayed treatment increases the risk of death. 

“My doctor said it would take a lot of time for my body to recover,” she said. “And he told my husband, if I had stayed home by myself, my husband probably would have come home to find me in a coma or dead.”

Although it has taken several months for Jennifer to regain her strength, she has made a full recovery. For Cheryl Douglas, of Chevy Chase, the outcome was very different.

Education Can Save Lives 

In 2006, Cheryl, who had recently retired, returned home one afternoon and suddenly started feeling ill like she had the flu. She sat in an ED for hours waiting to be seen. Two months later, she woke up from a coma with no recollection of what had happened.

While she was unconscious, her husband, Paul, and her doctors had to make the painful decision to amputate her hands and feet to save her life. It has taken years of physical therapy and relearning basic life skills such as walking and cooking, but Cheryl has regained her independence. She loves to cook and travel with her husband and is determined to help others survive sepsis. 

 “Two hundred and fifty thousand people die each year in this country due to this totally treatable health condition,” said Paul, who with Cheryl recently shared their story at the Southern Maryland Sepsis Collaborative hosted by MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.

“Paul and I had never heard of sepsis and we had no idea what to do,” said Cheryl. “If people know the symptoms, they are more likely to go to the doctor.”

Cheryl and Paul believe that education of healthcare workers and the public is the key to reducing sepsis deaths. “We could save so many lives in such a relatively easy way,” said Paul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJUtA-a4HjI

Visit MedStarStMarys.org/Sepsis to learn more. 

Know The Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis

S ► Shivering, fever, or very cold

E ► Extreme pain or discomfort

P ► Pale, discolored, clammy or sweaty skin

S ► Sleepy, confusion or disorientation

I ►" I feel like I might die."

S ► Shortness of breath