Health Scare at the Gym Leads to Life-Saving Emergency Heart Surgery at Cleveland Clinic London

At age 66, military veteran Christian Hobart takes pride in being fit and active, so a health scare in March 2024 after a routine gym workout was the last thing he expected.

“I was walking on the treadmill when I experienced searing pain across my chest and down my arms,” he says. “I stopped, drank some water, and felt better, but the pain returned when I got on the stationary bike, so I decided to go home.”

When Christian’s symptoms returned at home, his wife took him to A&E.

“They said my troponin levels were very elevated indicating heart disease, but that I’d need to come back to see a specialist for an angiogram,” Christian says. “I was put on blood thinners and sent home to wait the seven weeks until I could get in for the angiogram.”

Frustrated by the lack of answers, Christian's anxiety grew as uncertainty clouded his understanding of how serious his health setback truly was.

“I had a trip planned to go on a battlefield tour of Italy the next day and wasn’t sure if I should go,” he says.

Ultimately, Christian went on the trip but was often fatigued and short of breath. Terribly worried, his wife arranged for him to see Dr. Nicholas Robinson, Consultant Cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic London, upon his return. After meeting with Dr. Robinson, Christian learned he had triple vessel coronary artery disease, a severe type of heart disease where the three major vessels that supply the heart with blood are significantly narrowed.

“I learned I was at high-risk for a heart attack,” Christian says.

In quick order, Dr. Robinson reached out to Professor Olaf Wendler, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Chair of Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic London.

“At Cleveland Clinic London we routinely discuss complex patients at multidisciplinary meetings,” says Prof. Wendler. “We discussed Christian at a meeting on April 23 and recommended revascularization (bypass) surgery to restore normal blood flow to his heart.”

On April 24, Christian had a virtual appointment with Prof. Wendler who ordered a pressure wire study to measure the pressure differences in the narrowed arteries around Christian’s heart.

“Christian’s wife told me she had seen a deterioration in his condition in the past 24 to 48 hours, so I knew we needed to fast track his surgery,” says Prof. Wendler.

With no immediate surgical availability on his own calendar, Prof. Wendler reached out to his colleague Mr. Ranjit Deshpande, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, who was able to get Christian scheduled for surgery two days later.

On April 26, Mr. Deshpande performed a quadruple bypass using a specialised cardiac surgery approach focusing on the use of arteries for grafting instead of veins due to their longevity and ability to withstand pressure better.

“When you do bypass surgery you bypass the block by creating a new pathway,” says Mr. Deshpande. “I created a pathway for the blood to flow beyond the block using bilateral internal mammary arteries and an artery in the wrist.”

Mr. Deshpande specialises in off-pump surgery (also known as beating heart surgery), which allowed Christian’s heart to continue to pump blood to his body, helping to preserve heart function and reducing his risk of postsurgical complications.

“To get a team assembled to do this kind of emergency operation is very difficult, but Cleveland Clinic London always has one person from every specialty on-site,” says Mr. Deshpande. “We have a very good on-call system which means patients can get treatment as soon as required.”

When the goal is trying to save someone’s life, teamwork is essential.

“Cleveland Clinic London is the only hospital in the area where a consultant intensivist is on-site 24 hours a day,” says Mr. Deshpande. “As a surgeon, I might do this fantastic job, but the post operative care is also very important to a patient’s healing and recovery and that’s what you get here.”

Christian agrees.

“From the moment I stepped in the hospital I immediately became aware I was in the best place imaginable for care,” he says. “I felt like everyone was bending over backwards to get me the best care as quickly as possible.”

After five days, Christian was discharged home. Today, he’s back to his daily routine, grateful for the expert care that caught his condition just in time. His story is a reminder that even the healthiest lifestyles can't always predict what's happening inside our bodies.

“People think because they live a healthy lifestyle, they will never get disease and unfortunately that’s not always the case,” says Prof. Wendler. “In Christian’s case, his disease was hereditary. He needs to continue to make sure his risk factors like his cholesterol and blood pressure remain under control.

“When you have a heart attack, not only do you have a risk of dying, but part of your heart muscle dies and then you have a higher risk heart failure,” he adds. “Early diagnosis preserves your heart function and improves your prognosis.”