'Like a miracle': Florence doctors save man whose heart stopped for a half-hour

A truck driver from Pamplico, South Carolina, is back behind the wheel after a heart attack that could have killed him. “He's like a miracle. Because this guy’s heart stopped at home. It stopped for 31 minutes,” said cardiologist Abdallah Kamouh, M.D. “The chance of survival is less than 10% for a patient who dies outside the hospital.” 

Jason Bazen, 46, survived with the help of his family, emergency medical services responders and the emergency and cardiology teams at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center. But that outcome was far from certain on the day that his heart stopped. 

“I had gone out to eat with my family. I came home and I said, ‘Hey, I don't feel good.’ All week, every time I'd have one of those episodes where I'd feel pressure in my chest, I could sit down and relax, and it would kind of ease off. And this time, I did that and apparently never woke up.” 

 

His wife found him unconscious and called his mother, a nurse who lives nearby. She did CPR until an ambulance arrived and rushed him to the Florence Medical Center Emergency Department. A test showed one of Bazen’s arteries was closed. Kamouh and his team in the Heart and Vascular Center opened it. Then, they decided to use a procedure called therapeutic hypothermia.

“We decreased his body temperature for 24 hours. Obviously, he was completely unconscious, on sedatives and paralytics, so he didn't feel the extreme cold,” Kamouh said. 

“The idea is you decrease the temperature to a level where the brain and the rest of the body functions or metabolism decrease. So the body will have low consumption of energy. This preserves some of the brain function and the function of other organs. The purpose is to decrease the metabolism of the body with the aim of decreasing the brain damage.” 

Then, they rewarmed Bazen. By Wednesday, five days after his heart attack, he was fully aware of his surroundings again. The cardiology team’s tactics worked. Bazen’s brain function was strong again. But his experience changed him in more ways than one. “It's given me a whole different outlook on life,” Bazen said. 

 

For one thing: “I quit smoking.” He thinks the fact that he was unconscious for a few days helped get him past the initial hurdle of quitting. “If you'd asked me if I could quit smoking a year ago, I'd have been like, ‘No way.’ But I came home from the hospital, and I had no desire for one. I don't want one.” 

He also changed his diet – not an easy task for a trucker. “I mean, let's face it – there’s nothing healthy on the road. I’m trying to take more fruit with me so I can snack on that.” 

He’s sharing his experience in hopes of helping others. “Learn the signs and symptoms of heart trouble,” Bazen advised. 

Signs of a heart attack include: 

• Chest discomfort.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.
• Shortness of breath.
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
• Nausea.
• Breaking out in a cold sweat.
• Feeling unusually tired or lightheaded. 

(Source: American Heart Association) 

Kamouh, the cardiologist, said it’s also important for people to learn how to do CPR. The fact that Bazen’s mother knew it made a big difference. The Red Cross has online training options for CPR. MUSC Health offers courses as well.  

And Bazen said people should keep in mind that when it comes to heart health, looks can be deceiving. “I'm 6-2, 175 pounds. I don't look like a walking heart attack.” That didn’t keep him from almost dying.  

Now, post-heart attack, Bazen is trying to exercise more. That includes sessions of cardiac rehabilitation. And he’s factoring in the future as he makes his choices. “I just hope the changes I made are beneficial and I can just move on and continue to live a long, healthy life. Or at least do my best to.”