Aspirus | Aspire | Fall 2018

ONE of Deb Armstrong’s favorite pastimes is picking berries and making jam. It’s a hobby she has enjoyed for years, up until lifelong heart problems pushed her passion to the back burner. Armstrong, 63, of Hancock, Michigan, has lived with atrial fibrillation (AFib) for years. The most common type of heart arrhythmia, AFib is a condition in which faulty electrical impulses cause the heart to beat irregularly. Untreated, AFib can cause blood clots, which can lead to stroke and heart failure. Her firstsetback Ever since she was a young girl, Armstrong struggled with health problems. It wasn’t until she reached adulthood that she experienced several mini-strokes and then a full-blown stroke. She needed the expertise of a heart specialist to get her health back on track. That’s when Armstrong’s primary care doctor referred her to cardiologist Peter Vaitkevicius, MD, at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital & Clinics. Dr. Vaitkevicius discovered fluid retention in her cheeks, ankles and feet, which raised a red flag. After extensive evaluation, he referred her to a specialist at Aspirus Heart & Vascular in Wausau. Ingoodhands Armstrong and her husband, Evan, met with cardiothoracic surgeon Ronald Miles, MD, FACS, to discuss her treatment options. Dr. Miles explained that she would need three combined procedures—a heart valve replacement, coronary artery bypass and Maze surgery to treat her AFib. She had the operation in August 2017. “She was a very sick lady when she came to us,” Dr. Miles said. “With all of the advances we have made in cardiac surgery, it’s much more common now to take on two or three types of operations at one time in the operating room. Everything went very well.” CARDIACCAREFROMTHEHEART Go online to aspirus.org for more information on heart and vascular services at Aspirus. Thanks to Aspirus Heart & Vascular, a U.P. resident is healthy and back to her hobbies—picking berries and making jam to her heart’s content is sweet again 8 aspire Fall 2018