Meet Chuck Sartoris
It was 2009 when Chuck Sartoris described having pain that went “up through his throat and down through his arm.” He scheduled time to see his cardiologist, Robert Staffen, MD, at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in his hometown of Latrobe. A troubling stress test led to a referral to Pittsburgh, and ultimately, quadruple bypass surgery to address four blocked blood vessels.
“After that, I was good to go,” Chuck recalls.
And he was – until early 2021, when chest pain and breathing difficulties became a new cause for concern.
“I couldn’t do a flight of stairs while carrying a laundry basket,” Chuck explains. “All I could think was, ‘Where do we go from here?’”
Receiving a Diagnosis
A cardiac catheterization test revealed that the arteries in Chuck’s heart had become 100% blocked, along with two of his previous bypasses, resulting in a diagnosis of chronic total occlusion (CTO). He was prescribed medication to help alleviate the ailment.
CTO occurs when a gradual buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries evolves to the point where blood flow completely stops. When this happens, the heart muscle is able to survive because it receives blood from nearby healthy vessels, but the supply is often insufficient.
Patients with CTO may experience chest pain, unusual fatigue, and shortness of breath. Treatment requires significantly more expertise than typical stenting.
Clearing a Path
Despite taking his medicine, Chuck was still showing symptoms of CTO In May 2023. That’s when he traveled to UPMC Presbyterian for a meeting and additional tests with Lori Michalski, CRNP, and Catalin Toma, MD, who leads UPMC’s CTO program. Imaging indicated a continued lack of blood flow to the left and back of the heart.
Dr. Toma and Chuck discussed their options and decided on a return to the cath lab. That’s where Dr. Toma Inserted a catheter through arteries in Chuck’s wrist and groin to eventually reach and clean out the left main artery and circumflex in Chuck’s heart.
Chuck returned in October for a second catheterization to remove an additional blockage in the left circumflex behind his heart. Finally, one week before Thanksgiving, the time came to address the right coronary artery.
“They went back through the groin, added a stent, and opened it right up,” Chuck recalls. “I was in surgery for more than four hours, but when I woke up, I felt no pain.”
The Road to Recovery
Chuck has fond memories of the following morning, thanks to the attention he received from his care team.
“Dr. Toma was on his way to performing another procedure, but he stopped by to check on me. Lori came in and asked how I was feeling, made sure I was okay.”
After being discharged from the hospital and returning to Latrobe, Chuck started rehab to get back to full strength. The soon-to-be 78-year-old prioritized cardiac exercises, with his workout routine including stretches and free weights before closing with a wind-down walk. He’s also practiced Qigong yoga.
“Doctors say my bloodwork looks great,” Chuck says. “My cholesterol levels are good, and I’m working to maintain them with diet and exercise. I come from a very active family. My mother had a stent put in at 87, and she lived to be 99.”
“…you feel like you are their only patient.”
While doing the laundry and mowing the grass may seem like chores to most people, Chuck is glad to be able to do “the little things” again. He’s even counting his progress.
“There are 14 steps from my basement to the first floor and another 17 from the first floor to the second.”
Bigger picture – Chuck says he has a “whole new outlook on life.”
“My procedures did more than relieve pain. I’m not afraid to do anything anymore. I feel more energetic.”
And he is thankful for the care received at UPMC.
“I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Toma’s team. From the person I spoke with on the phone when I first called in to the people who prepared me for discharge, everyone was so wonderful. They really care about the people they treat, and when you’re with them, you feel like you are their only patient.”
Chuck’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.