Intolerance to exercise discovered to be blockage in 35-year-old’s heart

At age 35, Adriana Oviedo started to experience an intolerance to any exercise. At times, she would become anxious and feel out of breath just walking to her car. Her chest hurt. Her arm ached, and she felt like she was breathing in cold air, which burned.

Her primary care physician prescribed anti-anxiety medication and Adriana was asked to follow-up. As this progressed over the past two months, she was referred to cardiologist, Robert Rosenthal, MD, on the medical staff at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital.

A stress test was performed, and although it was considered within normal limits, or “equivocally abnormal”, Dr. Rosenthal took into consideration her total health — including Adriana’s family history and her symptoms — and ordered a CT scan.

The CT scan showed a 70 percent blockage in Adriana’s heart. Three days later, she was in the cath lab, where Jeffrey Schussler, MD, performed a transradial cardiac catheterization to clear the blockage in her heart vessels.

About four hours post-procedure, Adriana was sitting up in her room, talking with her mom and a friend. They were all a bit in shock that things went from a routine CT scan to the cath lab within three days, but given what they all heard and saw related to Adriana’s blockage, they were very thankful to the cardiologists involved in the diagnosis and treatment.

Her mother said she was very afraid when she heard about her daughter’s situation, as she lost her (mom’s) sister and her mother, Adriana’s grandmother, to heart attacks. Adriana’s aunt also passed away before she could get a heart catheterization.

In addition, with her age, work and lifestyle, the transradial approach was a very good option for Adrianna. She is normally very active, playing sports, and she had been concerned that she was not able to exercise due to the shortness of breath and pain in her chest and achy arm.

As Adriana continues her follow-up care with Dr. Rosenthal, we share her story as an important one.

Adriana is a woman who paid attention to her signs and symptoms, kept her follow-up appointments with her primary care physician and cardiologist.

Now, she is in much better condition for a long and active life!

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