Centerton Man Credits Northwest Health Cardiac Specialists With Saving His Life

3/22/2019

Lightheadedness, shortness of breath and tiredness sound like something someone might normally brush off as a sleeping issue, but Centerton native Allen Baker decided to get his symptoms checked in the ER just to be safe.

His caution may have saved his life.

“It started in August when, on a hot summer day, I was out of sorts and slightly lightheaded. I was just really, really tired,” Baker said. “My wife insisted that I go to the ER because it was so unusual. And, in the process of that visit, the blood test revealed a heart enzyme which should not have been there and was not there ever before. That led cardiologist Dr. Garrett Sanford to call for an echocardiogram and then a CT scan which revealed an aneurysm and that led to heart surgery with Dr. [Clyde] Redmond.”

A lot of people don’t know that a person can have an aneurysm in places other than the brain, and that they’re not the death sentence they’re often portrayed to be – although they are still very dangerous. Baker’s happened to be an aortic root aneurysm. The aortic root is located at the base of the aorta, which is the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

“I had the wrong understanding of aneurysm when I first heard it,” Baker said. “I thought it was a ruptured vessel when I found out later it wasn’t; it was one that could rupture. But, when I realized the extent of it and Dr. Sanford explained it, it was very scary. And I’m very thankful that they found it before some emergency came up with a rupture or other problem.”

When going through something as scary as heart surgery, the last thing someone should have to worry about is being treated with compassion at the hospital. At Northwest Health, Baker found a level of care that exceeded his greatest expectations.

“I was just so thankful for the way that those folks took care of me,” Baker said. “And realizing the extent of my surgery and how they took care of me was just overwhelming to me. I had never experienced anything like that. I was just overwhelmed by the care that they exhibited – the professionalism, the service, the skill and the dedication that I saw from them. It was all during the Thanksgiving weekend, so there were people that were off, people that were taking off and some shift changes, but they never skipped a beat.”

Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Clyde Redmond kept close tabs on Baker from his first consultation all the way to his recovery from surgery. Baker was impressed with his ability to explain conditions and procedures in a way that is easy to understand for those outside of the clinical field.

“From the very first meeting I had with [Dr. Redmond], I felt he was certainly on top of the situation,” Baker said. “He understood exactly what was going on and he explained it well to my wife and I. The whole time I was in the hospital, he came by every day to visit me while I was in the ICU. His knowledge level and his willingness to explain things to the nursing staff and then turn around and explain it to me in layman’s terms was comforting and confidence building. I felt like I was in good hands.”

Coming to terms with one’s own mortality can be a life-changing experience. To Baker, life has different priorities knowing that he now has more time to spend with friends and family.

“I don’t feel like I’m the same person that I was before,” Baker said. “My priorities and values have changed. Things that used to be important, in terms of things and career and accomplishments, are not very important to me anymore. It’s more about people and relationships – [it’s about] time I get to spend with my family, with my wife, with my kids and grandkids. There are still things I want to do, things I want to accomplish, but they’re secondary to the more personal relationships.”

After his stay at Northwest Medical Center – Springdale, Baker wrote a letter thanking the staff for the care he received during his surgery and recovery.

“I am just overwhelmed by the skill and compassion that you all demonstrated on my behalf,” he wrote. “I am not normally emotional, but my eyes fill with tears when thinking about what you each did for me. I cannot adequately express my gratitude, but I hope you will accept this note and card as my feeble attempt to say ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of my mending heart.”

Heart Care at Northwest Medical Center - Springdale
Northwest Medical Center - Springdale has a rich history of heart care. More than 20 years ago, the hospital took a giant step in cardiac care in Northwest Arkansas when the first-ever open-heart surgery was performed at Northwest Medical Center – Springdale. In 2011, the hospital was the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to achieve accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI. That same year, the first procedure in NWA was performed to implant the world’s smallest heart pump.

Modern diagnostic technology arrived again when the Springdale hospital purchased the state’s first flat panel catheterization lab used for cardiovascular imaging. This new technology provided sharper X-ray images for physician evaluation, including internal 3-D images in seconds instead of limited 2-D images that could take more than half an hour. Patients experienced reduced radiation exposure and reduced test times.

In 2016, the interventional cardiology team at Northwest Medical Center - Springdale became the first in the state of Arkansas to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option when a patient received the first FDA-approved dissolving heart stent. While stents are traditionally made of metal, the absorbable stent is made of a naturally dissolving material, similar to dissolving sutures. The stent disappears completely in about 3 years, after it has done its job of keeping a clogged artery open and promoting healing of the treated artery segment. By contrast, metal stents are permanent implants.

Most recently, the Springdale hospital became one of fewer than 50 hospitals that is part of the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative (CSI), working with other major health systems to increase survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS). The National CSI is a single-arm, multicenter study designed to assess the feasibility of whether outcomes in cardiogenic shock can be improved by using standardized best practices including inserting a special heart pump to protect the patient during a percutaneous coronary intervention.

From left to right are Allen Baker's daughter Vanessa, wife Denise, daughter Beth, Mr. Baker, and son Jimmy.

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