Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/242056
MOWING THE LAWN IN THE SUMMER MAY BE A WEEKEND WARRIOR DUTY THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T LOOK FORWARD TO, BUT 86-YEAR-OLD LLOYD OSBORN OF BLUE EYE IS JUST HAPPY TO SAY HE CAN GET OUT THERE AND DO IT! One Sunday afternoon after church, Richard Daniel was lying on his bed and his whole body started shaking on one side. He was in pain. "It was kind of shocking and strange," he says. He called for his wife, Merinda. "I listened to his heart and it was just barely going. I said, 'Come on, we're going to the hospital,'" says Merinda. Richard stayed overnight at Cox Medical Center Branson. "They discovered I had an aneurysm," says Richard, who was transferred to Cox South in Springfield. "An aortic aneurysm is a widening of the aorta, the main artery in the body," explains Dr. Randolph Mullins, vascular surgeon. "Mr. Daniel's condition was concerning because of the large size of the aneurysm and he was having back pain." Richard was at risk for his aneurysm rupturing. An aortic endograft procedure was scheduled. "During this procedure, a small incision is made in the groin and a catheter is inserted in the artery that leads to the aorta. The endograft is inserted through the catheter and placed on the damaged section of the artery," explains Dr. Mullins. Richard went home the day after surgery and is doing well. "I make my wife coffee and hot tea, take the dog for a walk, whatever is necessary that I can do, I do it," he says. "It's definitely a second chance." "Timing is everything. He came in to the hospital at the right point in time," says Dr. Mullins. "I feel blessed with Richard Daniel in my life," says Merinda. LISTEN TO MORE OF THIS STORY AT COXHEALTH.COM/RICHARD. Men with a family history of aneurysms should get screened at age 50. If your father or brother has had an aneurysm, the risk for developing one is 50 percent, according to Dr. Mullins. "Before my surgery at Cox Medical Center Branson, I had an artery that was partially blocked," says Lloyd. "Just a little physical effort and my blood pressure would go up." Lloyd benefited from cardiac catheterization, which involves threading a long, thin tube called a catheter through an artery to the heart. This was Lloyd's second experience with catheterization, but this time the cardiologist went through the radial artery in the wrist instead of the femoral artery in the groin. "There are many benefits to the patient by using the radial approach," explains Dr. Narin Arunakul, cardiologist. "It is less uncomfortable for the patient, results in lower infection rates, less bleeding and bruising, and provides for a faster recovery." Dr. Stephen Kuehn, cardiologist, says that unlike the femoral artery, any bleeding from the radial artery can be detected quickly. He adds that each patient must be evaluated to determine the most appropriate strategy. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CARDIOVASCULAR SERVICES, VISIT COXHEALTH.COM. coxhealth.com 9