Appalachian Heart Institute

FIRST OPEN-HEART SURGERY AT HAZARD ARH A SUCCESS

Bill Sexton couldn't walk very far before the excruciating leg cramps forced him to stop. He says the condition had plagued him for sometime and he had gotten accustomed to the frequent periods of rest. But last week, pain in his legs, arm and chest escalated into what Sexton was sure was a heart attack. A stress test later confirmed that while not a heart attack, Sexton did need medical attention --and fast.

It wasn't long ago that Sexton and his family would have had to make a trip several hours away for the cardiac catheterization and open-heart surgery procedures he needed to repair three major blockages in his heart. But last Thursday, Sexton, 52, was just a couple miles from his Hazard home as he underwent the first open-heart surgery procedure performed at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center's Appalachian Heart Institute.

Sexton, who is now receiving care by ARH Home Services, agrees. "I couldn't have gotten better care anywhere else. Everyone treated me really good. The doctor stayed with me the entire night after my surgery - I wonder how many others would have done that," Sexton, who was released three days after his surgery said from his home in Hazard. "I couldnt have gotten better care anywhere else... It's really nice to know we have a service like this close to home. I'm glad they were here when I needed them.

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