Collaborating physicians Richard Begg, MD, Edward McDowell, MD, Richard Neff, MD, and patients Eugene Sobota, MD, Leonard Medvetz, MD, and Robert Lloyd in the cardiac catheterization lab at Indiana Regional Medical Center (IRMC). Doctor. Mr. Begg oversees the cath lab on behalf of his IRMC and Independence Health System joint venture through Butler Memorial Hospital. McDowell is a cardiologist in his IRMC physician group and Neff is his IRMC chief medical officer.Posted photo

Indiana Regional Medical Center (IRMC), in partnership with Independence Health System’s Butler Memorial Hospital, currently performs nearly 4,000 cardiac catheterizations.

Butler’s interventional cardiologists have provided 24-hour coverage of IRMC’s cardiac catheterization laboratory since 2016, performing cardiac procedures, providing diagnostic heart tests, and helping patients fight heart disease in emergency situations. We are supporting.

“The relationship between Indiana Regional Medical Center and Indiana Regional Medical Center has been excellent in patient care in the Indiana community,” said Richard Begg, a Butler interventional cardiologist who oversees the joint venture’s catheterization lab. said the doctor. “We have provided care in this region that has improved outcomes and saved countless lives. I am honored and proud of what we have built.”

Through this partnership, patients requiring non-emergency levels of cardiac care, such as coronary heart bypass grafting and transcatheter aortic valve replacement, will be transported to Butler Memorial Hospital.

After being discharged from the hospital, they return to Indiana, continue to see local cardiologists affiliated with Butler or IRMC, and participate in cardiac rehabilitation at IRMC.

“We are proud to continue this partnership, which demonstrates our commitment to expanding access to high-quality, safe cardiac care within our region,” said Dr. Richard Neff, IRMC Chief Medical Officer. Because it’s a thing,” he said.

Among those positively impacted by this partnership are three Indiana County retirees who meet several times a week for coffee and conversation. Robert Lloyd, Leonard Medvetz, and Eugene Sobota were brought together by a common interest in tennis and their experiences at IUP, or invitations to coffee clubs, but another thing they had in common was the care they received at IRMC. is.

Sobota recalled receiving one stent in 2017 after a stress test revealed a blockage. The retired Caterpillar computer systems administrator said he feels great afterward and didn’t think much about his heart health until last year when he noticed his energy was low, along with fatigue and shortness of breath. Ta.

Sobota always knew she had a heart murmur and had regular heart murmur tests to monitor it. When these new symptoms appear, it’s time to take action, he said.

On August 23, the valve was repaired at Butler Memorial and Sobota was sent home. Currently undergoing cardiac rehabilitation at IRMC, Ms. Sobota, 81, has noticed her energy returning.

“Everything was great from the beginning to the end. I will work hard to build up my stamina and work hard for the summer.”

Six years ago, Lloyd felt tightness in his chest, and Dr. Edward McDowell, a cardiologist with IRMC Physicians Group and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, suggested that a cardiac stress test, as well as a cardiac catheterization, could be helpful.

The former IUP music educator and former principal oboist with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra knew the situation was serious when the catheterization team told him he wouldn’t be going home. Rather, he was transferred to Butler Memorial Hospital, where he underwent triple bypass surgery.

“I was told two of my arteries were 90% blocked and the third was 100% blocked,” he says.

Lloyd recalled a conversation between his wife and Butler heart surgeon.

“You saved Bob’s life,” Lloyd recalls her saying after the surgery.

“It had to be done,” the doctor answered.

Medvets gave little thought to heart health during his playing days. He knew that his grandmother had died of heart disease, but now that he has retired from FMC, he remains active, tending to his vast estate and pursuing his hobbies in a backyard shed. Was. Everything changed two years ago when he found it difficult to walk around outdoors without resting, and his wife Dori suggested he seek medical advice.

Medical management was initially provided with a visit from the IRMC Physicians Group Cardiology Department, but Medvetz showed no improvement and determined further testing was necessary, so he was sent to Butler Memorial for a cardiac catheterization. I headed. While in the Butler catheterization lab, Medvetz noticed that the emergency response team appeared to be gathering.

Then I heard someone say, “You’re going to need heart surgery.”

Medvets said doctors reassured him.

“The next thing I remember was waking up in the ICU and being told to get out of bed. There was no pain or discomfort,” he said.

The day of his bypass surgery, October 6, 2022, will forever remain in his memory. Just two days later, his first grandchild, Nadia Christine, was born. Six weeks later, Medvetz began cardiac rehabilitation in Indiana.

There have been some challenges over the past year as another underlying condition was finally diagnosed and addressed. As Medvetz returns to cardiac rehabilitation in hopes of making a full recovery, he’s focused on the little girl who continues to give him a reason to stay strong.