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Health Matters: Providence Sonoma County | 5 W hen Darrin DeCarli, the 53-year-old division chief of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District, was wheeled into the ER on September 1, 2023, in cardiac arrest, the Providence Santa Rosa Memorial cardiology team was ready. DeCarli had just returned to his home in Petaluma after an exhausting trip to Nashville helping his son move. He decided to lie down to rest. When he stood up abruptly, he dropped like a dead weight to the floor, smashing his nose on the nightstand on his way down. His wife, Tricia, pushed the heavy nightstand aside. She rolled DeCarli over and, seeing that he was unresponsive and turning blue, called 911. She began performing CPR, and very quickly, DeCarli's own firefighting unit arrived— men he'd worked with for years. They took over, shocking his heart eight times with a defibrillator to restore his pulse before transporting him to Santa Rosa Memorial. DeCarli was lucky: Santa Rosa Memorial is a Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Distinction Center for cardiac care and was named a U.S. News & World Report High Performer for congestive heart failure and heart attack in 2024–25. Healthgrades named it a five-star recipient for defibrillator procedures in 2024. All this means the team of 10 cardiologists is prepared to address any cardiac emergency 24/7/365. "There's always one of us on call," says cardiologist and electrophysiologist Peter Chang-Sing, MD, explaining that hospitals coordinate to send patients where they will get the most appropriate treatment. "We get referrals from other cardiologists in Humboldt County, Napa County and other parts of Sonoma County." When DeCarli arrived at the ER, the on-call cardiology team continued defibrillation, CPR and respiratory support. "Because we suspected a large heart attack, we had him undergo a cardiac catheterization," says cardiologist Sanjay Dhar, MD. While this showed no blockages in his coronary arteries, the percentage of blood that left his heart when it contracted was only 10%; a normal range is 60% to 70%. ACTION WHEN MINUTES COUNT Sudden cardiac arrest—when a person's heart stops beating without warning—can result in brain damage or death if the person does not receive immediate CPR and get the right emergency care as quickly as possible. The most effective treatment is implanting a small device called a cardioverter-defibrillator, which stabilizes the heartbeat. "It's important to act quickly, because once people have one cardiac arrest, they 're very likely to have a second one," says Dr. Chang-Sing. Fortunately for DeCarli, Dr. Chang-Sing was on hand to implant the small device next to his heart to ensure it returned to normal functioning. "Because he already had an arrest, we put in the implantable defibrillator to protect him from another episode," he says. "The chest is not opened for this procedure, so it only takes on average 30 to 35 minutes." It is similar to implanting a pacemaker. By the end of October, DeCarli was back at work. Today he's playing golf again and going to the gym to lift weights. He is deeply grateful to everyone at Santa Rosa Memorial who saved his life and was so considerate and respectful to his family and many friends who filled his hospital room day in and day out. "The entire staff were phenomenal," he says. "So many things could have gone wrong. But everything played out the best that it could." "First of all, the credit goes to Mr. DeCarli's wife, who started CPR on him as soon as he collapsed," Dr. Dhar says. "Next, credit goes to EMS, who resuscitated him, and third goes to our hospital staff." Charlie Gesell Photography Act F.A.S.T.: If you see such stroke warning signs as Face drooping, Arm weakness or Speech difficulty, it's Time to call 911. Every minute counts. U.S. News and World Report named Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital "High Performing" for heart attack care; Santa Rosa Memorial also earned these accolades for heart failure. In addition, both hospitals were recognized by the American Heart Association with the Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award. Healdsburg Hospital received the AHA Get With The Guidelines® - Rural Stroke Silver quality achievement award as well.

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