People are the heart of cardiac care

Caring for a person’s heart is more than a procedure or the latest technology. It is caring for a person, giving them a better quality and longer life to enjoy with loved ones.

Thomas Day is one of those people. He is a father, grandfather and friend, a person with dreams and hopes for the future.

When his heart rate reached 189 beats per minute, he knew he needed to get help. Living in Safford, he drove himself to the nearest hospital. It turned out that he needed escalated care and was airlifted to Tucson Medical Center.

At TMC, Day’s medical team determined he needed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to address aortic stenosis. That wasn’t in the cards for him though. Further testing revealed Day was in heart and kidney failure and had other serious problems, meaning he would be better served with open heart surgery. It was a success, without complications.

“Rates of complications after surgery are really high for someone like this,” said Rhoda Tanio, R.N., cardiothoracic surgery coordinator at TMC. “We were so relieved to see Mr. Day pull through without experiencing any complications. He did not need any dialysis, even for a short period of time, even with just one kidney that was starting to fail.”

Now, Day feels better than he has in years. Since leaving the hospital, he has taken up walking, rowing and weightlifting. “I even feel like doing yardwork,” Day joked.

The care Day received during his stay at TMC gave him more than a healed heart. It gave him hope and a renewed excitement for the future.

He says he looks forward to seeing his grandchildren graduate, get married and have children. He is also planning an Alaskan vacation.

“There’s hope for people like me because of people like you,” Day said at a reunion with his medical providers. “I appreciate all you do and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

TMC Pet Therapy dogs were invited to campus to model for the first ever Pet Therapy calendar, which was sold in the TMC Gift Shop and the Teal Saguaro to raise money to support the program.

Doctor’s Orders: Reduce cortisol and increase oxytocin levels

Prescription: Pet Therapy

“When the dogs come to the unit, everyone’s whole demeanor changes. You can tell patients feel happy and can forget for a minute that they’re in the hospital,” said Heather Roberts, supervisor of Child Life Services when pet therapy teams returned to the hospital after a two-year hiatus.

A wag of a tail from a friendly animal not only can bring an immediate smile, even for someone who may not be in a smiling mood, but it also facilitates the healing process for patients who may be experiencing health issues that have them confused, frustrated, lonely or scared. Research shows that simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while increasing levels of oxytocin, the feelgood hormone. These canine interactions can also assist in lowering blood pressure, kind of a white-coat syndrome antidote!

Therapy is intense work for our canine friends and their humans. Each visit is about one hour and may be on a specific unit, or several different units and sometimes in a lobby. In 2022, 31 teams provided 2,022 hours of pet therapy, bringing smiles, reducing cortisol and increasing oxytocin wherever they wander.

June 2023 - Bandit