When Norman walked into TriStar Lovers Lane ER on a Saturday morning, he needed more than emergency care close to home. He needed a connected system of care ready to move quickly, from the first moments of a life-threatening cardiac event to advanced heart treatment across multiple TriStar Health hospitals.
That coordinated care helped save his life.
Norman’s day started like many Saturdays, with a cup of coffee, some work and a run. Shortly into his routine run, something didn't feel right. What began as back pain and shortness of breath quickly progressed to numbness in his hands, dizziness and chest pain. When he returned home, his symptoms continued to worsen. That's when he told his wife, Kaitlyn, he needed emergency care.
"Thank goodness TriStar Lovers Lane ER was here and close to home," Kaitlyn said.
As soon as Norman walked through the doors, he collapsed. The TriStar Lovers Lane ER team immediately sprang into action. Dr. Joe Thomas, the emergency physician on duty, quickly recognized that Norman was experiencing ventricular tachycardia (VTACH), a dangerous heart rhythm that can prevent the heart from pumping enough blood to the body.
Without immediate treatment, the condition can be fatal.
"I remember Dr. Thomas and the entire team being so calm and methodical," Norman recalled. "He told me I wasn't going to like what he had to do, but it was going to save my life."
The care team delivered a life-saving shock to restore Norman's heart rhythm. Shortly afterward, he went into cardiac arrest. Because of the team’s emergency preparedness and successful CPR, Norman's heartbeat returned to normal.
From there, Norman’s care continued through the TriStar Health system. He was transferred to TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center, where physicians performed an emergency cardiac catheterization to determine the cause of the event.
The procedure uncovered that Norman had been living with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart condition caused by an extra electrical pathway in the heart. The condition had gone undetected for years until activity suddenly triggered life-threatening arrhythmia.
"Everyone at each facility was extremely caring," Norman said. "They kept telling me how lucky I was to be alive."
Following treatment at TriStar Hendersonville, Norman was transferred to TriStar Centennial Medical Center, where he underwent two cardiac ablation procedures to correct the condition. Dr. Kyle Mandsager, electrophysiologist with Centennial Heart, performed the procedures.
“After confirming the presence of the accessory pathway responsible for Norman's abnormal heart rhythm, we were able to perform an ablation, which destroys the extra tissue and allows the heart to beat normally again,” Dr. Mandsager said. “The procedure was successful, and we expect him to be cured of this condition.”
"Our children have their father today thanks to TriStar Lovers Lane ER," Kaitlyn shared when Norman and his family returned to thank Dr. Thomas and the care team who helped save his life. They arrived with smiles, hugs and a bundt cake to express their gratitude to the people who made his recovery possible.
Because of the coordinated care, clinical expertise and resources available across TriStar Health, Norman was back at work within two weeks. Today, he's healthy, active and enjoying the summer with his wife and three children, a future that almost looked very different.