Heart Attacks Do Not Discriminate

Heart attacks do not discriminate. Just ask Richard “Dick” Yuengling, owner of America’s Oldest Brewery based in Pottsville. In February, Yuengling became one of the more than 800,000 people nationwide who suffer a heart attack each year.

Yuengling’s is a positive story with a great outcome. Soon after suffering a heart attack, he returned to work doing what he loves, with little or no fanfare. Yuengling credits his emergency and cardiology teams with saving his life and giving him the opportunity to return to his usual routine. He also shares an important message with anyone who will listen: “If something doesn’t feel right, go get help immediately.”

Thursday, Feb. 27, was a dark, foggy, rainy and chilly morning in the Pottsville area with temperatures in the 40s. As was his usual routine, Yuengling was at the brewery’s Mill Creek location early doing the variety of tasks he has done for decades, only that day, he was not feeling his usual self. Something, he said, did not feel right. So, what did he do? He drove himself from the Mill Creek brewery operation to the flagship Mahantongo Street brewery, literally a ride across town, where he continued his daily routine. This time he shared with staff that he was not feeling well. His team recognized something wasn’t right either.

"It wasn't exactly chest pain," the 82-year-old Yuengling says, "but there was some pressure in my chest. I thought it was the flu or something."

His daughter drove him to the Emergency Room at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Schuylkill, accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology, where the team was ready to respond. Yuengling told the team he was a little short of breath earlier that day and had also broken out in a sweat after climbing some steps. 

An immediate electrocardiogram (EKG) showed Yuengling was in the midst of a heart attack, a STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction). A heart attack occurs when there is a disruption to the blood flow of the heart, destroying or damaging part of the heart muscle. Heart attacks can be very serious, even fatal without prompt medical treatment. Time was of the essence for Yuengling on that February day. 

Yuengling’s emergency team immediately activated an “an "MI Alert," triggering the entire team at LVH–Cedar Crest to engage in emergent transfer for patients having a heart attack. Due to the extremely poor weather conditions, the MedEvac helicopter team was grounded, and unable to fly safely to LVH-Cedar Crest. 

Because LVH–Schuylkill is an accredited Chest Pain Center, doctors were able to evaluate Yuengling and deliver TNK (tenecteplase), a thrombolytic or clot-busting drug that can be used when a cardiac cath lab is not immediately available. The treatment worked. Yuengling’s elevated levels were resolved in the LVH–Schuylkill ER after administering TNK. Tamaqua Ambulance Transport team and MedEvac ground transport paramedics quickly transferred him to LVH–Cedar Crest, where he underwent a successful cardiac catheterization procedure. Cardiac catheterization is a procedure that aims to improve or resolve the disruption of blood flow. After a three-day hospital stay, Yuengling was discharged home, stable without any chest pain. 

And, just a few weeks later, the brewery patriarch returned to his full activity schedule with very little change. “I’m so thankful for what everyone did for me,” he says. “From the doctors and nurses to the ambulance crew and team at LVH–Cedar Crest, I sincerely thank you.”

Yuengling’s story is a powerful reminder that heart attacks don’t discriminate. Know the signs and symptoms which include but are not limited to:

• Chest pain
• Discomfort in the upper body (arms, neck, jaw or stomach pain)
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Unexplained fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness

LVH–Schuylkill’s accredited Chest Pain Center offers the community a higher level of care that could mean the difference between life and death. In Yuengling’s case, inclement weather prevented MedEvac helicopter transportation to LVH–Cedar Crest, but the team at LVH–Schuylkill was able to administer thrombolytic therapy (clot-busting drugs) providing near immediate attention to the medical emergency.

Chest Pain Center Accreditation is a quality improvement program designed for hospital cardiovascular teams focused on the efficient and effective care of acute coronary syndrome patients. Chest Pain Center Accreditation drives health centers to establish consistent, high quality processes across the continuum of care, providing you with a roadmap for progress and highly valued, sustainable performance.