Thanks to Quick-Thinking Bystanders and Her Surgical Team, East Bay Mom is Well on the Road to Recovery

By Clayton Warren, Vitals contributor

Jennifer Carothers-Liske was playing ultimate frisbee with a group of friends in October when she suffered a heart attack.

“All of a sudden, I felt short of breath,” says Carothers-Liske. “I just kind of collapsed.”

Other players quickly ran to her aide and four people began performing CPR while someone called 911. This quick action kept Carothers-Liske alive until an ambulance arrived to transport her to Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Center in Oakland.

Carothers-Liske, a physical therapist and mother of two adult daughters, underwent a successful urgent coronary triple bypass grafting (CABG) procedure and is well on her way to making a full recovery.

Dr. Junaid Khan, director of Cardiovascular Services at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

“Jennifer sustained multiple rib fractures from the CPR,” says Dr. Junaid Khan, a cardiothoracic surgeon and director of Cardiovascular Services at Alta Bates Summit. “This is quite common in patients who have been resuscitated by CPR that is performed well. The only issue is that a patient has to endure more pain while recovering.”

Why Managing Pain Matters

“Optimizing pain management following cardiac surgery is crucial and our team provided Jennifer with a nerve block injection called a parasternal block to help reduce her pain after surgery,” says Dr. Marietta Smith, an anesthesiologist with East Bay Anesthesiology Medical Group. “Using this pain management technique lowers side effects and helps improve recovery time so patients like Jennifer have a shorter hospital stay and a better outcome.”

Dr. Marietta Smith, anesthesiologist with East Bay Anesthesiology Medical Group

A Grateful Heart

Carothers-Liske says she is grateful for the cardiac surgery team and the care she received at Alta Bates Summit.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I’m very pleased with my surgery and recovery,” she says. “I have very little pain and I’m looking forward to getting back onto the playing field.”

Carothers-Liske recently returned to Alta Bates Summit to personally thank her surgery team (see photo at top) and she’s looking forward to rejoining her ultimate frisbee teammates very soon.

“Jennifer’s amazing recovery would not have been possible without our entire team including the expertise of our surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, PT/OT, case management and rehabilitation services,” says Dr. Khan. “We take great pride in the high-quality care we provide that has resulted in long-term positive results.”

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