FOR LIFESAVING CARDIAC CARE
Steve Gorczynski, 55, remembers very little of what happened on the morning of Aug. 30, 2023, but his wife, Julie, will never forget it.
She woke up when she heard a “thud” and found her husband unresponsive on the floor. Julie immediately called 911. She hadn’t taken CPR since their children were small, but with the help of the 911 operator, she was able to administer it to her husband until a police officer arrived within minutes and took over. EMTs quickly showed up, continuing CPR and using a defibrillator on Gorczynski twice. Julie asked the first responders to transport her husband specifically to Crouse Hospital, acknowledging that the well-known tagline: “Take Me to Crouse,” was echoing in her head.
These quick actions were critical to Gorczynski’s survival and successful recovery, according to his cardiologist Anil George, MD, FACC, a member of Crouse Medical Practice. “Time is heart muscle,” says George. “Steve’s heart took a big hit, and had he not received CPR almost immediately, he may have had a very different outcome.”
Ready at Crouse
George and the team at Crouse were ready when Gorczynski arrived at the hospital. “Once we got his EKG, we rushed him to the cardiac cath lab on arrival and quickly inserted a stent into his blocked artery,” says George. “Crouse’s average ‘door to balloon time’ is 63 minutes — in comparison to the national guidelines recommendation of 90 minutes or less — and we work hard to maintain that critical window. We’ve developed a smooth transition to minimize delays and get patients into the cardiac cath lab as quickly as possible.”
Gorczynski had a lethal arrhythmia of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Commonly known as the “widow maker,” only 12% of those who experience this condition outside of a healthcare facility survive, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). If CPR is not given within five minutes or less, the heart and brain are deprived of oxygen, causing irreparable damage to the heart muscle and cognitive issues, and, in many cases, death.
After the cardiac team inserted a stent to open the blockage, Gorczynski was put into a medically induced coma. The Crouse team was there every step of the way to ensure his full recovery. He doesn’t remember much until Day 5. On Day 8, he was able to go home to continue his healing.
Road to Recovery
“My doctor and nurses were very surprised that I had such an accelerated recovery,” explains Gorczynski. “It’s kind of miraculous. I did have some cognitive issues due to the medication I was on, and I needed some occupational therapy, but my post checkup showed no scar tissue from the heart attack, and I felt almost normal after a couple of weeks.”
Before his heart attack, Gorczynski never had indications of cardiac issues, and he was physically fit. In fact, a check-up shortly before this event had given him a clean bill of health. Today, as he marks the one year anniversary of his heart attack, he is back to his full exercise routine, and while he never had high cholesterol or weight issues, he has improved his diet.
Bank Employees Learn the
Importance of CPR
Gorczynski is the Central New York regional president of M&T Bank, and after his experience he thought it was important to offer basic CPR and AED (automatic external defibrillator) training to bank employees and their families with the help of Crouse and the local chapter of AHA. More than 80 employees learned CPR, including Gorczynski himself. The group was joined by seven nurses from Crouse, led by Lynne Shopiro, RN, chief nursing officer and cardiac nurse, who is also president of the Central New York Chapter of the AHA’s advisory board.
“You don’t have to be a medical professional to learn hands-on CPR,” Shopiro says, noting that the current method involves hands-only chest compressions with no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. “Learning basic CPR takes five minutes and gives you the confidence as a bystander to help someone in need. I think it’s important for people to remember that CPR can double or triple the chance of someone surviving a cardiac event.”
The CPR training at M&T was a success, and Gorczynski hopes to offer it again in the future. In addition, he and Julie helped coordinate CPR training in their Manlius neighborhood this past year.
“I’m a big proponent of learning CPR, and I’ll continue to spread that message,” Gorczynski says. “The experience is still very surreal. I’m not sure I realized how serious it could have been at the time, and I’m sure I was a bit of a challenge as a patient, but I’m very thankful for my wife, the 911 operator, the local police, EMTs and everyone at Crouse who helped save my life with the excellent level of cardiac care and compassion that the hospital offers. There were a lot of people rooting for me and a lot of people who made sure that I’m here today — healthy and grateful.”