A petite 68 year-old beauty, Cora Moore enjoyed good health all her life
until late 2014 when she began experiencing shortness of breath and a
frightening, painful tightness in her chest. This prompted Tom, her loving
husband of more than 50 years, to call an ambulance which took her to
CVMC. The couple have since learned the value of having a regional hospital
accredited with full
Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient
Care (SCPC), close to their home in Claremont. Cora, who has been diagnosed with coronary
artery disease, became one of the first recipients in North Carolina to
receive an innovative kind of heart stent to help relieve her symptoms
of the disease which causes a narrowing of the vessels that supply blood
and oxygen to her heart. Coronary stents, which are inserted into the
coronary artery to prevent blockage, are usually made of metal mesh that
remains in the body permanently after surgery. For some time, stents have
been combined with drug-eluting polymers to improve therapeutic outcomes
and prevent future blockages which can lead to repetitive hospital admissions.
What’s new about Cora’s stent is the use of a bioabsorbable
polymer that distributes blockage- preventing medication slowly over three
months before it disappears shortly after drug-elution is complete and
the stent is absorbed by the body. This hastens healing of the tissue
around the stent which, Cora’s cardiologist, James Ritter, MD, FACC,
FSCAI indicates is ideal for a candidate like Cora who is extremely small.
Dr. Ritter became the first cardiologist in North Carolina to offer this
procedure in October 2015, shortly after it was approved by the FDA. He
and the other providers at
Catawba Valley Cardiology make an effort to stay on the frontline of technologically advanced heart
procedures, technologies and treatments. They have been first-to-market
several minimally invasive procedures in the greater Hickory area which
are producing positive evidence-based outcomes for patients.
Cora is pleased with the increased energy and stamina she is enjoying,
“I can tell a big difference with this procedure. This time, I have
more strength and overall quality of life is better,” said Cora.
“Today I’m walking into my doctor’s appointment, but
before, Tom had to push me in a wheel chair.”
The Moore’s are both outspoken about the satisfaction they have about
the quality of care Cora is getting, not just as a patient at the hospital,
but also at
Catawba Valley Cardiology and at her primary care physician’s practice. Established as a patient
with Dr. Shane Summers at
Catawba Valley Family Medicine – Viewmont, Cora said that he was completely filled in on the events which had transpired
during her recent hospital stay. “In fact, Dr. Summer’s son,
Ryan Summers was my nurse during my stay at CVMC,” said Cora. “He’s
the type of person you want to take care of you. Everyone has been excellent
during my experience. Having a heart condition like this has totally blown
me away. Heart disease is everywhere in my family, but I really thought
it had skipped me. I don’t have any other risk factors, so when
I first found out, I depended on encouragement from Tom, my children and
great grandchild.”
At CVMC, cardiovascular care is coordinated between preventative cardiology,
diagnostic imaging, a vascular disease program, interventional cardiology,
electrophysiology, and a Heart Failure Clinic. Cardiac care can be complicated,
and the key for any patient is access to cutting edge, evidence based
therapies that are not piecemeal, but coordinated to treat the patient
as a whole. At CVMC, you get both. For more information about CVMC heart
services, please visit our
website or call the physician referral line at 828-485-2300.