“I didn’t know how serious it was.” – Sally Fields

Sally Fields is fortunate to have lived to tell her story.

Sally, a 51-year-old human resources worker who lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri, was accustomed to working long hours with more than her share of stressful days.

In 2020, however, Sally was working when she felt a pain in her chest so bad it felt like someone punched her and knocked the wind out of her. It'll pass, she assumed. Probably just an anxiety attack, she thought. She went home for the day to recover.

The pain continued at home. By morning, the pain extended to her jaw, and she had trouble breathing. Her doctor suspected it was a heart attack and sent her to the Emergency Department at Saint Luke's East Hospital.

Saint Luke's emergency staff confirmed it. She was having a heart attack. Specifically, a SCAD heart attack. Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection. This type of heart attack has another name: The Widow Maker. SCAD is caused by a sudden tear in the coronary wall, resulting in blood filling the area, blocking flow in the artery. At 51, Sally was right at the age where SCAD is more common.

A blockage such as Sally's can be terminal without emergency care.

Saint Luke's clinicians told her she'd recover, but had to have surgery immediately. Dr. Dmitri Baklanov, interventional cardiologist at Saint Luke's Cardiovascular Consultants, used microscopic catheters to place a stent that reconstructed the vessel and restored blood flow.

“SCAD is a condition that can happen in people without any heart problems,” said Dr. Baklanov. “All human beings have small blood vessels on the outside surface of the heart. They move and bend, sometimes at 90 degrees, with every pump and squeeze 50 to 100 times per minute. After repairing coronary arteries for 25 years, I’m amazed they don’t stop or break. Every heartbeat is a gift.”

Dr. Baklanov said Sally was able to get up and walk immediately after the procedure. She had an echocardiogram the next day that showed no heart damage.

“I didn’t know how serious it was,” said Sally, who is also a breast cancer survivor. “Some people would have gone through what I went through and could be in a wheelchair or lose heart function. I know I’m tough, but you also have to get help when you need it. Don’t wait because then, it could be too late.”

She hopes her story teaches others not to wait to get care when their bodies tell them something is wrong. Today, Sally enjoys life with her family and greets her children every day after school.

Learn more about Saint Luke’s East Hospital–a 238-bed facility that earned a five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2021.

Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saint Luke’s Concierge: 816-932-5100