'A second life for me.' After massive heart attack, Jackson man celebrates breakthrough

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Mohammed Chaudhry woke up feeling fine, made himself breakfast, and opened his laptop. That’s when the trouble started.

“I felt chest pains, I had dizziness, my hands were numb,” said the 72-year-old Jackson resident. “I thought I was having a heart attack.”

His hunch proved correct. And not just any heart attack, but a massive, quite possibly lethal one. A short while later, Chaudhry was at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township, where the staff determined he was in cardiogenic shock – his heart was not pumping enough blood to his brain and other vital organs. He was placed immediately on an Impella, a small pump that helps the heart recover.

This was the first use of an Impella at the hospital, and its fruits were apparent Thursday – nearly four months later – when Chaudhry “rang the bell” to complete his cardiac rehab. A reception was held to commemorate the occasion, with Chaudhry’s family, including his 7-year-old grandson, in attendance.

“I feel excellent,” Chaudhry said. “This is a second life for me, and I am absolutely grateful for that.”

'It invigorates us'

Dr. Jatinchandra Patel, the medical director of CentraState’s Cardiovascular Interventional Laboratory, said Chaudhry was in dire shape when he arrived. But it could have been worse. A 24-minute “door-to-balloon” time – the time it took for Chaudhry to get from the emergency room into the procedure – was much faster than the industry standard of 60 to 90 minutes. With Chaudhry’s blood pressure at life-threatening lows, the Impella went to work.

“The Impella takes blood out of the ventricle and puts it back in the aorta; it does some of the work for the heart,” Patel explained. “That’s what helps the heart heal during that period (immediately following a heart attack).  Often times when you have cardiogenic shock and don’t have that device, patients end up in kidney failure or liver failure.”

Chaudhry, who had no prior history of heart trouble, was able to avoid that fate. The Impella was removed after three days, and he was discharged the following day. Thursday’s ceremony was the capstone of his recovery; he received a standing ovation from dozens of staff members.

“Words can’t describe it,” Patel said of seeing such a recovery. “It makes us want to go the extra mile for the next patient that comes through. It invigorates us.”

A moving tribute

The reception closed with a moving tribute. Melody Blasenheim Stevens, who suffered a heart attack in December and was treated at CentraState, sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from the musical “Carousel.” She is a music teacher at Red Bank Catholic High School.

Blasenheim Stevens, a 55-year-old Manalapan resident, had asked two things of Patel on the day of her heart attack: first, no intubation to spare her vocal chords (they didn’t intubate); and second, help her recover so she could be back on her feet in time to judge auditions for Red Bank Catholic’s musical, “Anything Goes,” the following week.

She was.

“Dr. Patel had the best bedside manner,” she said. “He was so calming.”

So Blasenheim Stevens was more than happy to put her vocal chords to use for the assembled Thursday.

The eloquence of the moment was not lost on Chaudhry.

“It was a great song,” he said. “I loved that.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: CentraState doctor saves Jackson NJ man's life with Impella device