Twice With No Heartbeat

Tim Teel hopped on his Italian-made motorcycle June 1 and rambled off with friends for an 80-mile ride. He had no words for his emotions. The feeling was indescribable – and completely understandable.

Less than three weeks earlier, on Monday, May 13, Teel lay on a gurney in the triage area at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Carbon, part of Jefferson Health, with no heartbeat for more than 10 minutes as doctors and nurses worked to revive him. Once revived, his heart later went silent again for a similar period, but like the first time, returned with the assistance of LVH–Carbon clinicians.

Today, Teel is back at work as director of instrument design at famed guitar maker C.F. Martin and Co. in Nazareth where he’s worked for nearly four decades.

For the Towamensing Township, Carbon County resident, the stars aligned the day his heart stopped. Combined with expert care, he’s back with his family and the life he loves.

About two weeks before his heart attack, Teel says he complained to his family doctor about pain on the right side of his stomach and thought maybe he had gallstones. Ultrasound testing showed no stones and Teel says no problems were noticed on the right side of his heart, which appeared in the ultrasound images. He felt better and had no other symptoms that were concerning. Other tests showed Teel’s cholesterol was on the rise and the decision was made to treat that with diet and exercise.

The weekend before his heart attack, Teel was working hard on some projects around his home.

That fateful Monday, Teel went to work as usual. When he got home late in the afternoon, he mowed the grass, trimmed weeds and prepared dinner. His wife, Debbie, was at work and was getting off at 8 p.m.

When Debbie called him at 8:15 p.m. on her way home, Teel said he was having some chest pain on his left side which was a new symptom for him. His back hurt, too. They decided to keep an eye on his symptoms.

When Debbie got home, Teel says he was feeling a bit better. Debbie showered and sat down to eat her dinner. But Teel says he suddenly began to feel much worse. He tried to lie down, but that was no help. He felt worse. He told Debbie they needed to go to the hospital right away. LVH–Carbon was about eight miles away.

“I said ‘Don’t stop for red lights’,” Teel recalls. “The closer we got to the hospital, the worse I felt.”

Teel arrived at the hospital’s triage area, where he rated his pain as a nine out of 10. That’s the last he recalls before waking up the next day in intensive care at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, where he’d been taken by MedEvac helicopter.

At LVH–Carbon, Teel’s heart stopped twice during efforts to keep it pumping, each time for 10 minutes or more. All during that time, resuscitation efforts continued non-stop. His heart was shocked at least six times.

Once Teel’s EKG revealed a possible heart attack, the on-call interventional cardiologist, Shailendra Singh, MD, was contacted. Dr. Singh decided to immediately fly Teel to LVH–Cedar Crest so he could further evaluate his cardiac arteries and heart function. A cardiac catheterization revealed Teel had a totally blocked left anterior descending artery. Heart attacks related to this major artery are sometimes called “widow makers” because it commonly is the largest artery in the heart and supplies the most amount of blood in the heart circulation.

When Teel arrived at LVH–Cedar Crest, his heart’s pumping capacity was exceptionally low, three times lower than normal. To stabilize Teel’s overall circulation, Dr. Singh installed a miniature heart pump to help Teel’s heart rest and relax.

Dr. Singh says he used innovative devices to effectively clear Teel’s blocked artery in long, intricate procedures. Ultrasound imaging revealed the blockage was calcified and extremely hard. A clot was also seen at the blockage site. Dr. Singh used a tiny diamond-tipped, cone-shaped burr to clear away most of the blockage, then a device that uses sonic pressure waves on the blockage to be able to install a stent in the artery to keep it open and flowing smoothly.

Dr. Singh says since Teel’s heart blockage was “clearly the culprit,” he decided to immediately fly him to LVH–Cedar Crest, rather than take time for more testing to determine whether the length of time Teel’s heart was not beating had led to any neurological damage.

Teel, a father of one and grandfather of four, arrived at LVH–Cedar Crest intubated to help him breathe, and sedated.

Teel is a Jehovah’s Witness, and he had an advance directive against the use of blood products, in keeping with his faith. LVHN’s blood management program then played a key role in his treatment to help ensure those wishes were met.

“It’s very common to require blood products for ensuring adequate cell counts in these cases since blood counts may drop for a variety of reasons,” Dr. Singh says. “We took every effective measure to make sure we didn’t need to use any blood products. I utilized all my options to minimize blood loss like we normally do.”

The result for Teel and the cardiac team was spectacular. Teel’s heart function swiftly improved to normal and he suffered no neurological damage. He left the hospital just nine days later. 

Eric E. Elgin, MD, is the physician leader in the Heart and Vascular Institute. 

“Advances and innovations in heart and vascular care today are allowing us to save lives and improve function for so many people in ways that were never possible before,” Dr. Elgin says. “Dr. Singh is on the leading-edge of care in our region and now that LVHN is part of Jefferson Health, our shared knowledge, expertise and skill expand that care to even more people in need.” 

Dr. Singh says the role of doctors, nurses and other clinicians at LVH–Carbon can’t be understated. 

“Because of their expert emergency care, because of their refusal to give up, Tim was given a chance to get to Allentown and have his blockage cleared and his organ function stabilized,” Dr. Singh says. “It really illustrates the value of our hospital care across the region.”

While expert medical care saved Teel, Dr. Singh says there was “definitely someone up above” playing a role. Had Teel not been in the LVH–Carbon ER when his heart stopped, this story may have had a different ending. Teel agrees.

Teel says when he asked in the ICU if he could ride his motorcycles again, Debbie knew he was going to be fine.

“It makes what we do so impactful and very rewarding. It allows us to be part of a story of hope and resilience,” said Singh.

Teel says his care at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, was beyond his expectations. 

“I haven’t had a whole lot of interaction with hospitals,” he says. “From the moment I walked in the door at the ER until I left the Allentown campus, everyone was just rooting for me and taking good care of me. I wanted for nothing.”

Teel says a good friend of his stopped to see him after he got home and told him he was fortunate for three reasons: That he made it through, that he had Dr. Singh and that he was cared for at the best hospital in the area.

Teel says 35 years ago, his uncle on his dad’s side, died from the same kind of heart attack. That uncle died on the way to the former Gnadden Huetten Memorial Hospital in Lehighton. Teel says he coincidentally thought of his uncle not long before his own heart attack. 

“It might have been a precursor,” he mused.

Teel’s family was grateful for the excellent care he received. In a note to Dr. Singh, they wrote that “all the expertise and knowledge you had shown during his surgeries and procedures saved his life and gave him the best chance of a miraculous recovery.”

For now, Teel says because a stent was installed, he’s on medication to prevent his platelets from binding together and clotting. He takes medicine for blood pressure and cholesterol and attends cardiac rehabilitation through LVHN. 

On Nov. 20, 2024, Teel had the unique opportunity to personally thank his LVHN caregivers the week before Thanksgiving in the same hospital that started his life-saving journey. Everyone from his clinicians and nurses to the MedEvac team gathered for this special occasion.

“It’s truly humbling to be here today,” Teel said. “It’s not about me. It’s really a celebration of all of you. My recovery is a product of the expertise and professionalism of many of you in this room.”

Christine Schirer, Director, Clinical Services at LVH–Carbon, expressed her appreciation to Teel for sharing his story. She was in the ER in May when Teel arrived that night. 

“Thank you for coming back. We don’t usually get to see what happens to patients once they leave,” she said.

Glass heart-shaped mementos were given to Teel and the departments involved in his care to commemorate his miraculous recovery.

“Today reminds us why we do what we do,” Dr. Singh said. “It is truly a miracle. We thank Tim for showing us what it means to be resilient.”

Knowing Teel is a motorcycle enthusiast, Dr. Singh wished him many more years of health, happiness and long motorcycle rides.

“I am inspired by the commitment and expertise available to us at LVHN,” Dr. Singh said. “The advanced tools and technology allowed me to install a heart pump within minutes of Tim arriving to LVH–Cedar Crest. He came in with 20 percent heart function, and by the time he was discharged he was almost back to normal. It’s a testament to what’s possible.”

Warren Behr, Director, LVHN Patient Blood Management, and several members of his team also attended the event. Teel is a Jehovah’s Witness with an advanced directive against the use of blood products, in keeping with his faith.

“We love to see Tim’s family with him today,” Behr said. “Bloodless medicine is good medicine. It’s the cooperation and teamwork in the LVHN community that makes this possible.”

Thankfully, Teel does not remember much from his ordeal that night. He said he has experienced some flashbacks and his wife filled him in on missing details. In the many conversations with members of his care team at the event he learned even more. As for his LVHN team, they were grateful just to know that Teel is doing well.

“Words cannot describe the incredible feeling of being able to help Tim in his most vulnerable moment,” Dr. Singh says. “It makes what we do so impactful and very rewarding. It allows us to be part of a story of hope and resilience.”

He has even recovered enough to joke about it. The whole room laughed when Teel humbly apologized, saying “I’m sorry to have put you all through this!”

Teel took his recovery very seriously and in addition to medications he adapted a healthier lifestyle to help with cholesterol levels. Since his heart attack he has lost weight and is hoping to get his numbers low enough to stop taking most of the medications he’s been on. 

“Every day, I’m thankful to be here,” Teel says.