Charles Askren

“This story is about my father Charles Askren. My father was admitted to the VA Hospital in Cincinnati on February 11, 2010 with chest pains. He had been informed several weeks prior that he needed heart bypass surgery, he was very sick. The VA Hospitals in Cincinnati and Cleveland refused to do the surgery because he was such a high risk. He had had a paracardectomy in 1981 and because of this his heart and lungs had fused together with scar tissue and calcium. Dr. Patel was able to successfully separate his heart and lungs and perform the bypass.

Dr. Patel and the other surgeons saved his life. If they had not agreed to do his surgery, my father may not be here today. He was on a respirator for 5-1/2 days and needed a lot of care.

The nursing staff was absolutely wonderful. My father was having some discomfort and complained about something moving in his chest that was out of the ordinary. The nurses took him for a CT scan and discovered that his sternum had separated. He went in for another surgery on March 1, 2010. His entire sternum was open; the wires used to close had pulled through the bone. Dr. Okum was able to close his sternum with 5 Titanium plates. Again, we could have lost my father, because this is very dangerous.

We are so grateful to the doctors and nurses at UC Health University Hospital; my father could not have gotten any better care. The nurses in CVICU even gave my father the nickname of Papa Smurf. My dad is a very strong man and seeing him on the respirator was very hard, but the nurses understood this and were very kind to all of our needs and us as well. They didn’t even get upset when I would call to check on him at 3:00 in the morning on my way to work.

My dad is living proof the University Hospital saves peoples lives.”

~ Deborah E., Amelia

Physicians/Surgeons:

Dr. Smith, Dr. Guitron, Dr. Patel, Dr. Stevenson, Dr. Heubl, Dr. Booth, Dr. Okum and Bob Osterday(physicians assist).

Nurses:
Carla Blue, Jen Popil, Jen Pettibone, Colin Quigley, Amy Plapp, Bethany Schemmel, Erin Eisenbrei, Kerri Santos, Mieta Koob, Julie Nieman, Rachael Derenski, Tiffany Hemphill, Lisa Winston, Deb Morris, Tia Nicely, Racael Callvin, Lotta Hedberg, Bobbie Metz, Ricky Jones and Colleen Schmidt

Robert Brown, Cincinnati

“It’s a beautiful day near the end of the summer and I am laying on the walk in front of my house bleeding to death.  I hear sirens approaching from the distance. At the beginning of the summer, I elected to have an endovascular AAA repair. After a series of misadventures and six procedures later, I was delivered by EMS squad to University Hospital ER. The first time my femoral artery pseudo aneurysm ruptured I was actually in the hospital. When, about a month later, home alone, I felt the horrifying warmth and gush again, I called 911, identifying myself, my location and condition. Declining to stay on the phone, I decided to lay on my front walk to “wait for the boys”.

When the squad arrived, I waved, as if the guys couldn’t figure out their patient was the guy laying on the walk in a pool of blood. Wavering on the edge of consciousness, I was transported to the ER. I did not regain full awareness until several minutes later in the ER. Before going to emergency surgery to address the immediate emergency, I met Dr. Giglia.

Over the next couple of days we talked. I recall telling him I couldn’t endure another rupture. He gave me an article discussing the procedure he proposed. We agreed to proceed.

 Now, just over a year since, I am still recovering. I have retained my life and my leg. I am grateful for all the people who participated in this adventure. I am especially grateful to Dr. Giglia and have an enduring admiration for his competence, imagination and confidence. ”

- Robert Brown, Cincinnati

Doctors perform surgery on a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

 Physicians noted: Joe Giglia, Carlos Rosales, Hosam El-Sayed, Michael Ward, et al.