Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1526708
Health Matters: Providence St. Joseph Hospital | 5 I n 2012 Carrol Nuss had been enjoying retirement for about a decade. During her working years she stayed very busy running her own real estate asset disposition firm and also providing extensive fundraising efforts for various nonprofit organizations like the March of Dimes and the Red Cross. This nonstop, high-stress lifestyle took a toll on Carrol's health—even though she walked several miles a day and prioritized a healthy diet. She found herself exhausted all the time, with frequent shortness of breath. And then one day she collapsed at her home. Paramedics rushed her to Providence St. Joseph, and she ended up in the cardiac ICU. Doctors informed her that she needed a pacemaker. "That was a shock to me," Carrol says. "My entire family history is of strokes and heart attacks, but no one had a pacemaker." She hoped the pacemaker would give her the boost she needed, but her recovery was extremely slow and she felt exhausted all the time. So in 2015 she received a heart stent, performed by Brian Kolski, MD, the director of structural heart disease at Providence St. Joseph. Dr. Kolski is an expert in his field and helped start the hospital's transcatheter valve program. Over time Carrol returned to Dr. Kolski for additional stents to improve her artery function. All the while she continued her volunteer work, but chest pain and shortness of breath were preventing her from being as active in the community as she wanted. She was also diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, a genetic protein buildup in the heart that can cause heart failure. By 2021 Dr. Kolski had discovered that a heavily calcified lesion was causing a 90% constriction of Carrol's right coronary artery. They decided that the next step in her healing journey needed to be a coronary atherectomy and a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to remove plaque buildup from her arteries. During this minimally invasive procedure, Dr. Kolski used shockwave intravascular lithotripsy to break up the calcium. St. Joseph was the first hospital in Orange County to use shockwave, which was a newer technology at the time of Carrol's treatment. In 2023 Dr. Kolski inserted Carrol's fourth heart stent. After recovering, she was pleased to find that her symptoms had greatly improved. "We live in exciting times," says Dr. Kolski, who is board- certified in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular diseases and performs more than 200 structural heart interventions annually. "Caring for patients with cardiac and vascular disease is more rewarding than ever. Nothing is more satisfying than helping a patient with education, prevention and the treatment of complex problems." Today Carrol is an active 73-year-old who stays busier than she did during her career. She jokes with Dr. Kolski that he knows the inside of her body better than she does. "I'm alive today through the grace of God, my spiritual director, Father Bao Thai, and the best doctor and cardiologist I've ever known: Dr. Brian Kolski," she says. "He is compassionate, attentive and always on the cutting edge of heart-related medical innovations. I've been blessed to have purpose and a strong drive to keep moving forward." Are you at risk of heart disease? Take a quiz to learn more at providence.org/sjoheart. A Life Well Lived A cardiac patient partners with a Providence cardiologist on her journey to wellness of the heart. I ACT AS IF EVERY DAY IS THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE! – CARROL NUSS Dr. Brian Kolski