{"id":32340,"date":"2020-06-08T08:41:27","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T14:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=32340"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:46:41","slug":"chest-pains-started-he-went-straight-to-the-er","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/chest-pains-started-he-went-straight-to-the-er\/","title":{"rendered":"When chest pain started, he went straight to the ER"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"sam
Chest pains took him to the ER, but after a quadruple bypass, he’s been able to enjoy the start of summer, like here at Horsetooth Reservoir. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a brisk March day. Colorado had seen its first death from the novel coronavirus two days before. Ski resorts started shutting down and the state legislature officially suspended its work.<\/p>\n

In northern Colorado, Fort Collins natives Paula and Sam Trujillo had been following recommended guidelines for physical distancing and staying home. The couple, who\u2019d celebrated their 50th<\/sup> wedding anniversary a few months earlier, were already missing their grandchildren. With Sam being immune compromised, though, they knew it was best not to have regular visits with family.<\/p>\n

Sam was helping Paula with spring cleaning their home when he experienced a shooting pain move across his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one buckled me down to the floor,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

Then seconds later, he experienced another crushing pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was nervous about it,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought I was actually having a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"selfie
Sam and Paula have been getting out safely for walks after Sam’s quadruple bypass. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He and Paula decided to go to the emergency room \u2014 a decision that may have saved Sam\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Chest pains: Symptoms should not be ignored during COVID<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Health care professionals are noticing that patients, fearful of becoming infected with COVID-19, are waiting too long to seek medical help during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing people who should have come to us sooner, whether for a heart attack, stroke, infection or other issues, like appendicitis,\u201d said Dr. Jamie Teumer, longtime emergency room physician and medical director of the emergency departments at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont and UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland.<\/p>\n

Heart attack symptoms can differ for men and women. Learn more.<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

\u201cThe morbidity and mortality for these simple things have increased because of fear of coming to see us. That delay is causing loss of tissue, loss of lives, and it is not necessary. We\u2019ve done all the measures to make sure you are safe,\u201d Teumer said.<\/p>\n

\"Sam
Sam went straight to the ER when he started experiencing chest pains. Here he’s walking at Horsetooth Reservoir after his quadruple bypass. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe have all sorts of protective measures set up the minute you walk through our doors to the minute you leave,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no reason to let any fear deter you from coming to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trujillo couple admits they too had reservations about going to an emergency room during the time of COVID-19, but they also knew it was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

A hospital visit for chest pains during a pandemic<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital emergency room, doctors ran a number of tests to see what was causing Sam\u2019s symptoms.<\/p>\n

Sam hadn\u2019t actually had a heart attack, but he failed a stress test that proved his heart wasn\u2019t operating properly. Sam was admitted to Poudre Valley Hospital that night with plans to have a stent placed in one of his main arteries to open up blood flow to his heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to be by his side as things were just starting to get sketchy with the virus,\u201d Paula said.<\/p>\n

Paula had planned to stay that night, but that evening UCHealth\u2019s visitor policy changed to provide more protection from COVID-19. Only one visitor per patient was allowed in a 24 hour-period. Paula went home that night and returned the next morning to be at her husband\u2019s side as he underwent more testing. (UCHealth\u2019s current visitor policy may be found here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, the virus was the least of my worries,\u201d Paula said. \u201cOur hospital stay almost became a distraction. I didn\u2019t have time to focus on the pandemic \u2014 and in a way, that was good.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Sam was being readied for surgery, news came to Paula that doctors needed to do\u00a0\u00a0 more than a stent. He needed a quadruple bypass.<\/p>\n

\"sam
Sam out for a hike after his quadruple bypass at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Addressing coronary heart disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sam was suffering from coronary heart disease<\/a>, a type of cardiovascular disease, which is the number one killer of both men and women globally, according to the World Health Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscles. Like all other tissue in the body, the heart muscle needs oxygen-rich blood to work, and oxygen-depleted blood must be carried way.<\/p>\n

Coronary heart disease (also called coronary artery disease) occurs when the innermost layer of the coronary arteries become inflamed and narrowed. This is caused by a buildup of fatty deposits called plaque, and these deposits may start as early as childhood and continue to thicken and enlarge throughout life. This thickening can cut or block blood flow to the heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chest pains Sam had experienced were not from a heart attack, but left alone, it very well might have resulted in a heart attack,\u201d said Dr. Hao Pan<\/a>, a cardiothoracic surgeon with UCHealth Heart and Vascular Center \u2013 Medical Center of the Rockies.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the heart can\u2019t get good blood supply and oxygen, then it doesn\u2019t function well,\u201d Pan said. \u201cSam\u2019s chest pain was trying to tell him something was wrong. Having pains at rest \u2014 that\u2019s when you really worry about these patients. Those are the red flags you don\u2019t want to miss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are really in distress, you need to show up and get checked out. You could go to bed and not wake up the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sam
Sam and his grandkids recently (missing is his oldest granddaughter, Kianna). Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, a quadruple bypass<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sam was transferred to UCHealth\u2019s 187-bed Medical Center of the Rockies for surgery. There, many protocols were in place to ensure safety of patients during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cUCHealth has done an extraordinary job of segregating COVID patients from other patients so we don\u2019t add to that risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The March 19 surgery went well, and Sam recovered for one day in the hospital\u2019s intensive care unit and then transferred to its progressive care unit the next morning. In all, he was at Medical Center of the Rockies for five days. The visitor policy had changed once more as hospitals began to deal with a surge of COVID-19 patients and Paula wasn\u2019t able to visit her husband at all. However, in place of her being by his bedside, Pan and the nurses kept Paula abreast of Sam\u2019s condition via phone and FaceTime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses were so good keeping me up to date, and Dr. Pan called me daily to let me know what was going on, what the plan was, and where Sam was going to be. He even took a picture with Sam, and one time he used FaceTime so I was able to see Sam. Dr. Pan is so caring. I was very concerned and he put me at ease. So when he\u2019d call, that\u2019s how I\u2019d address him: Dr. Rockstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting back home after open heart <\/strong>surgery<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nurses had Sam sitting up in a chair the day of his surgery. Walking was more of a challenge because of the tightness in his legs \u2014 for a single bypass, doctors take a vein from the leg to use in the chest to redirect blood flow to the heart.<\/p>\n

\"small
Sam and Paula Trujillo’s grandchild comes by during the COVID-19 pandemic to say hi. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe therapy people at the hospital do a good job and the nurses too,\u201d Sam said. \u201cThey were on top of everything. If you had a question, they had an answer, and they didn\u2019t mind you asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over several days, Sam learned how to do strengthening exercises and implement lifestyle changes once he returned home. In some surgery cases, going to a rehab facility after such a major surgery would be an option, but because of COVID-19, the risks for an immune-compromised patient such as Sam was too high, Pan said.<\/p>\n

UCHealth arranged for a home health care team – an occupational therapist and physical therapist — to visit Sam daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do all this operating so they can live a long time,\u201d Pan said. \u201cWe want him getting back to doing all the normal things again \u2014 that\u2019s the goal. What we\u2019ve done for him is stopped his symptoms; prolonged his survival. He can revert back to a normal life, but now he is safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making changes at home after coronary artery disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At home, Paula and Sam had hard jobs. While Sam worked to recover, Paula became his caregiver and biggest supporter, but she admits, she feared him getting COVID-19 more out of the hospital than in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere is a man who\u2019s gone through a traumatic surgery, made it through \u2014 what if he catches something. That\u2019s all I could think about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Over time, she stayed busy by making healthy changes to meals, making sure Sam exercised and took his medications regiments, and eventually began to relax a bit more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t think we are out of the woods,\u201d Paula said.<\/p>\n

\"kids
Sam’s grand kids enjoy a water fight at his house recently. Sam is glad to be able to see his grandkids again after chest pains took him to the ER and resulted in a quadruple bypass. Photo courtesy of Paula Trujillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each day, Sam tries to walk at least 30 minutes a day. He\u2019s explored local trails, and is staying away from crowds and wearing a mask. Soon, Sam hopes to go fishing.<\/p>\n

Recenty, Sam and Paula got the best medicine of all \u2013 a visit with five of their nine grandkids. Sam\u2019s son came over for an outdoor barbeque and they spent the evening enjoying their five grandchildren. Then later, they enjoyed a slumber party with their two grandsons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a pleasure to have them,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything is working out pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a brisk March day. Colorado had seen its first death from the novel coronavirus two days before. Ski resorts started shutting down and the state legislature officially suspended its work. In northern Colorado, Fort Collins natives Paula and Sam Trujillo had been following recommended guidelines for physical distancing and staying home. The couple, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":32342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[515,4859,4860,235,3512,82,811,128,3300,9167,4301,1789,2182],"class_list":["post-32340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-cardiovascular-services","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-emergency-care","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiovascular","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiology","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-health","tag-heart-surgery-treatments","tag-specialized-services","tag-uchealth-heart-and-vascular-center","tag-uchealth-medical-center-of-the-rockies","tag-uchealth-poudre-valley-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen his chest pains started, he went straight to the ER - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"His chest pains were trying to tell him something was wrong. 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