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Methodist Charlton Medical Center
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Summer 2014
There
seemed to be no rhyme or reason
to Dan Eddy’s bouts of chest pain. For three
months they came on randomly. He could
be relaxing in his easy chair or teeing up on
the golf course.
“They started happening four to five times a
week,” he says. “The one in Dr. Wilson’s office
was the final straw.”
That was in mid-June 2012 during a
regular appointment. Cardiologist Randall
Wilson, MD, on the medical staff at
Methodist Charlton Medical Center, had
Eddy admitted immediately and ordered
a heart catheterization.
The test showed he had a minimum of four
blocked arteries, some as much as 90 percent.
“I had never had a heart attack or stroke,
but indications are that I was as close as you
could get,” he says. “Fortunately, we found the
problem before, not after, a cardiac event.”
Strong team, strong solution
Dr. Wilson referred Eddy to cardiothoracic
surgeon M. Peter Tauriainen, MD, FACS, also
on the Methodist Charlton medical staff.
“Because Mr. Eddy had blockages in
multiple arteries, we thought surgery would
give him both the longest life expectancy
and the most long-term relief from the chest
pain and dizziness he’d been experiencing,”
Dr. Tauriainen says. He scheduled a
quadruple bypass for two weeks later.
While Methodist Charlton’s open
heart surgery program was brand-new
at the time (Eddy was patient No. 51),
Dr. Tauriainen says it was and continues
to be a strong one.
“Methodist Charlton has done a really
great job of building a talented team
of nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists,
and support staff with years of experience
behind them,” the surgeon says, also praising
the operating rooms and surgical technology
on hand.
The right choice
Eddy spent five nights at Methodist
Charlton after his successful surgery and,
like Dr. Tauriainen, praised the high-quality
care he received. “My experience was
unbelievable,” he says. “Every nurse and
staff person I saw, not just doctors, treated
me like I was a personal friend or relative.
I’ve been in the hospital before when I
felt like I was a number; this was the
exact opposite.”
Fully recovered, Eddy now serves on the
Methodist Charlton Advisory Board. More
than ever, he stands by his decision to place
his heart in Methodist Charlton’s hands.
“I had the option to go to any hospital I
wanted, but I chose Methodist Charlton,” he
says. “It was the right choice, and I couldn’t
have been happier.”
heart attack
Heading off a
