Quick response saves tourist having heart attack while hiking in Glacier

On July 28, Barbara Sue Brodie sat in a sunlit hospital room of the intensive care unit Kalispell Regional Medical Center in the company of her husband and two daughters. She had survived a major heart attack and cardiogenic shock — a rare, but usually fatal condition if not treated immediately — while hiking in Glacier National Park.

Although fatigued from the ordeal that happened on July 22, Brodie, 67, is already able to walk a fair distance for her condition and was expected to be discharged this week.

“She’s had a remarkable recovery,” said Dr. Mayank Agrawal, the Kalispell Regional Medical Center interventional cardiologist who cared for Brodie.

Agrawal said her condition was “a very amazing example of time being of the essence” in receiving quick medical interventions that significantly increased her chances of survival.

Barbara Sue, her husband Brad, and daughter Sarah were vacationing in Glacier from South Carolina. On that Saturday, Barbara Sue and Sarah were taking a hike along Two Medicine Lake while waiting to take a boat tour when the chest pains began.

“We thought maybe it was the altitude,” Sarah said. “When she kept having to stop because of shortness of breath we decided to turn around. Mom was able to make it to the area of the boat dock when she sat on a bench and was able to articulate to me ‘I think I’m having a heart attack.’”

Sarah asked staff at the dock if there were any medical personnel nearby, setting things in motion.

Medical intervention began almost immediately when two Glacier Park rangers arrived on the scene, talking to Barbara Sue, giving her oxygen, checking her pulse, and when she lost consciousness, administering CPR and using an automated external defibrillator.

As visitation to Glacier has increased, so have medical emergencies. As of July 24, the number of emergency medical calls in the park this year has reached 115, up from the 89 calls received at this time last year, according to Glacier spokeswoman Lauren Alley.

Medical calls in the park are a daily occurrence ranging in severity from minor to life threatening. At a minimum, park rangers are certified in CPR and know how to use an automated external defibrillators, according to Alley. Some rangers advance their medical training to the level of emergency medical technician or paramedic.

Emergency medical services and ALERT crews soon arrived at Two Medicine Lake and worked to stabilize Barbara Sue while transporting her to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where staff in the emergency department, catheterization lab and ICU took over.

“If any component of care was not there she would not have survived,” Agrawal said.

Agrawal treated Barbara Sue for cardiogenic shock, where the heart isn’t pumping enough blood to the body.

“The majority of the heart took a hit and was not able to sustain blood pressure for body function,” Agrawal said.

Agrawal performed a percutaneous coronary intervention by implanting a small balloon pump used to open up blocked arteries, but her health continued to decline.

Sarah was surprised to learn her mother had blocked arteries.

“She goes to the doctor regularly. She even had a stress test at least a year ago. She leads a fairly healthy lifestyle. She does Pilates and barre. She eats healthy,” Sarah said.

With her mother in declining health, the balloon pump was removed and an Impella heart pump was implanted through an artery. The Impella is a temporary artificial device that takes over the heart’s functions. The device is used to help the heart muscle recover and sustain blood pressure without assistance.

This technology, and the expertise needed to implant it, is not widely available.

“Not all hospitals have the team available to put in this device. Either hospitals don’t have the device, or don’t have the team to take care of these patients in the ICU,” Agrawal said, later adding, “This is a perfect example where a system works,” from the park rangers to all the medical personnel.”

The Brodies expressed their gratitude for Barbara Sue’s care.

“We’re all here being very grateful,” Sarah said. “We’re thankful to God that everybody was in the right place at the right time to help us.”

And when her mother is well enough, Sarah is holding out hope that they will return to Glacier to complete the trip as originally planned.

“We plan to come back and see the parts of Glacier we weren’t able to see. It might be a year, but we plan to come back,” Sarah said.

For now, the Montana trip will be extended to ensure her mother is ready and able to travel back home where she will begin cardiac rehabilitation.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.