Fort Worth, TX, Aug. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For Hunter Mixson, playing soccer felt as natural as breathing. Less than a minute into a soccer game, though, the normally agile 30-year-old felt tightness in his chest. Confused, Mixson struggled to jog before he suddenly collapsed from a life-threatening heart condition known as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD.
After five days at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, where he had a cardiac catheterization procedure, coronary artery bypass surgery, Mixon is participating in several weeks of cardiac rehabilitation.
“I’m young and healthy, and I was dealing with something I’d never heard of,” Mixson said.
Even though SCAD can affect adults of any age, it tends to occur most often in women in their 40s and 50s, and primarily those considered relatively healthy. Unlike a normal heart attack, where a clot blocks blood flow to the heart, SCAD develops when a bleed or a bruise causes a separation between layers of the artery wall, then expands and cuts off blood flow to the artery, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Cardiac symptoms ─ chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness ─ sometimes mimic other health conditions, such as acid reflux or musculoskeletal pain, said Brendan Reagan, M.D., an interventional cardiologist on the Texas Health Fort Worth medical staff.
“Seeking immediate medical treatment can be the difference in minimizing damage to the heart, or even the difference between life and death,” Reagan emphasized.
Receiving specialized cardiac care
After Mixson’s teammates called 911, paramedics took him to Texas Health Fort Worth. Bill Reed, B.S.N., R.N., an ICU nurse at the hospital, said Mixson exhibited the classic signs of a heart attack but with a few oddities. His chest pain and breathing would quickly return to normal. Even Mixson’s echocardiogram, an ultrasound device that produces images of the heart, showed no signs of blockage in his arteries.
The care team determined a cardiac catheterization was necessary.
“That’s when they saw my dissected arteries. It’s also when I heard SCAD for the first time,” Mixson said.
Carlos Macias, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon on the Texas Health Fort Worth medical staff, said Mixson’s situation was critical. Tears in two of his arteries were severing blood flow to his heart. Physicians determined the best course of action was coronary artery bypass surgery.
“Mr. Mixson had severe tears in the arteries which encircle the entire heart muscle. It was life-threatening and needed to be addressed immediately,” Macias said.
After extracting a blood vessel from Mixson’s right leg, called a graft, Macias rerouted blood around both torn arteries and restored blood flow to his heart.
Mixson said he’s grateful to so many individuals at Texas Health Fort Worth. “From the employees delivering my food to the physicians and surgeons who helped save my life, they were amazing,” he said. “My nurse, Bill Reed, is definitely a superhero. He was so observant, and he treated me like I was the only person there.”
Regaining confidence after SCAD
Mixson looks forward to graduating from cardiac rehabilitation later this month.
Cardiac rehab provides more than just physical conditioning after a cardiac event, said Reagan, Mixson’s interventional cardiologist and a member of Texas Health Heart and Vascular Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice*.
“It offers patients reassurance that they can safely resume most physical activities without damaging their heart.”
Mixson has played soccer since the age of 4, and he’s grateful to be back on the field.
“Life will throw obstacles your way, but how you respond truly defines you. I’m here, and despite a major setback, I’m still doing what I love.”
To learn how Texas Health is advancing heart and vascular care throughout North Texas, click here.
*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.
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For images and accompanying video, please contact Chandra Caradine.
About Texas Health Resources:
Texas Health Resources is a faith-based, nonprofit health system that cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. With a service area that consists of 16 counties and more than 7 million people, the system is committed to providing quality, coordinated care through its Texas Health Physicians Group and 29 hospital locations under the banners of Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Huguley. Texas Health access points and services, ranging from acute-care hospitals and trauma centers to outpatient facilities and home health and preventive services, provide the full continuum of care for all stages of life. The system has more than 4,100 licensed hospital beds, 6,400 physicians with active staff privileges and nearly 29,000 employees. For more information about Texas Health, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.
Attachments
Chandra L. Caradine Texas Health Resources chandracaradine@texashealth.org
