Recognizing Symptoms Led Her to Proper Care
February 6, 2025
Lorraine Renz, 54, of West Palm Beach, Florida, started feeling unwell on Christmas Day 2024. Within a week, she was at Wellington Regional Medical Center receiving lifesaving care.
Renz, a surgery scheduler at Wellington Regional, thought her chest discomfort was gastritis, as she suffers with this condition often. But, in the early hours of January 2, 2025, she started experiencing additional symptoms. “I couldn't really fall asleep, and while in the bathroom, my arms went weak and I had an onset of severe pain chest, jaw and back pain and I started sweating,” says Renz.
She was taken to Wellington Regional where a dedicated response team worked quickly to determine she had a heart attack. Renz was taken to the cardiac catheterization lab where she had a stent placed to open the artery that was affected. She then spent one night in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and was able to go home the next day. “I just did not want to die, I was scared, but the team took care of me,” adds Renz. “The nurses who cared for me in the MICU were amazing.”
“We are thankful that Lorraine recognized her symptoms and called 911 immediately,” says Lawrence Lovitz, MD, medical director for the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Wellington Regional. "It is important to call 911 to activate EMS, never drive yourself or have someone else drive you to the hospital if you are experiencing heart attack symptoms. Paramedics can monitor and manage symptoms during transport and can alert the hospital in advance ensuring the patient receives timely and efficient care on arrival. We have a skilled team available 24/7 to treat heart attack patients and are grateful for the EMS teams that care for the patients before they even come through our doors.”
Dr. Lovitz adds that with heart attack patients, time is of the essence. “From the time she entered the ED, to the time she received treatment, we met the national benchmark goal of door to device within 90 minutes."
Tammy Levasseur, RN, Cardiovascular Coordinator, explains that Wellington Regional strives to provide timely and effective treatment by following evidenced-based chest pain protocols. “We utilize a collaborative approach involving EMS, emergency physicians, cardiologists, hospitalists and other specialists. We also take pride in our specialized cardiac care care, which begins in our ED and continues in our cardiac catheterization lab, ICU and dedicated cardiology unit.”
Women's heart attack symptoms are different than men's and may include unusual fatigue (may be sudden and severe), shortness of breath (even without chest pain), nausea, indigestion or vomiting, lightheartedness, discomfort in the neck, back, jaw or stomach and chest discomfort (may feel like pressure than pain).
"Women often do not recognize their symptoms as a heart attack and may delay seeking care," adds Dr. Lovitz. "Early recognition and calling 911 significantly improves survival rates."
For Renz, she is feeling a bit stronger every day. “I’m back to work, adding more to my activities and slowly getting back to normal.”