After living with an abnormally fast heart rate for more than 16 years, undergoing a battery of tests and 10 years of daily medication, Donna Hogan got a second chance at Central Florida Regional Hospital.

Hogan was first diagnosed with Ventricular tachycardia following a ski trip in the mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  

“By the end of the day my heart was racing at the rate of 155 BPM.  Was this the result of excitement or altitude sickness?  Neither,” Hogan said.  “Although my physicians speculated I was born with this defect, that day my heart was jolted into super ventricular tachycardia.

Ventricular tachycardia originates in one of the two lower chambers of the heart, known as ventricles. It is diagnosed when there are three or more beats in succession originating from a ventricle, at a rate greater than 100 beats per minute but less than 200 beats per minute.

When this condition is sustained, the ventricles won’t be able to fill with enough blood for the heart to keep blood flowing properly through the body. This can result in lowered blood pressure, heart failure and death.

Hogan, 55, was wheeled into the electrophysiology lab at Central Florida Regional Hospital at 10 a.m. on June 10, 2009.

“The next thing I knew I was staring at the clock and it was 11:20 a.m.   I was all fixed!  Life is good,” she added.

Hogan is one of several very special patients who were willing to share their stories in our 2010 Second Chances calendar. 

“I am especially grateful to the physicians and staff of the electrophysiology lab at Central Florida Regional Hospital for their special skills in returning my heart to a normal rhythm.  Thanks to them I have been emancipated from my regimen of medications,” Hogan said.

Heart attack survivor John Miller is also featured in the calendar.

“I was travelling for work in Sanford when my heart attack hit. Thank goodness I was in the right place at the right time to be treated so quickly at Central Florida Regional Hospital,” he said.

The 52-year-old had a potentially deadly type of heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction).  During any heart attack, especially a STEMI, the sooner blood flow is reestablished to the heart, the less tissue damage and the better the outcome for the patient. 

A patient’s STEMI time is how long it takes from arrival in the ER to reestablish blood flow. 

Miller’s STEMI time was 61 minutes.  Central Florida Regional Hospital consistently beats the national STEMI time average of 90 minutes.

To order a free Second Chances calendar, call Consult-A-Nurse at 1-800-445-3392.  You can also read more of our patients’ survival stories on our website at www.centralfloridaregional.com.

After living with an abnormally fast heart rate for more than 16 years, undergoing a battery of tests and 10 years of daily medication, Donna Hogan got a second chance at Central Florida Regional Hospital.

Hogan was first diagnosed with Ventricular tachycardia following a ski trip in the mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  

“By the end of the day my heart was racing at the rate of 155 BPM.  Was this the result of excitement or altitude sickness?  Neither,” Hogan said.  “Although my physicians speculated I was born with this defect, that day my heart was jolted into super ventricular tachycardia.

Ventricular tachycardia originates in one of the two lower chambers of the heart, known as ventricles. It is diagnosed when there are three or more beats in succession originating from a ventricle, at a rate greater than 100 beats per minute but less than 200 beats per minute.

When this condition is sustained, the ventricles won’t be able to fill with enough blood for the heart to keep blood flowing properly through the body. This can result in lowered blood pressure, heart failure and death.

Hogan, 55, was wheeled into the electrophysiology lab at Central Florida Regional Hospital at 10 a.m. on June 10, 2009.

“The next thing I knew I was staring at the clock and it was 11:20 a.m.   I was all fixed!  Life is good,” she added.

Hogan is one of several very special patients who were willing to share their stories in our 2010 Second Chances calendar. 

“I am especially grateful to the physicians and staff of the electrophysiology lab at Central Florida Regional Hospital for their special skills in returning my heart to a normal rhythm.  Thanks to them I have been emancipated from my regimen of medications,” Hogan said.

Heart attack survivor John Miller is also featured in the calendar.

“I was travelling for work in Sanford when my heart attack hit. Thank goodness I was in the right place at the right time to be treated so quickly at Central Florida Regional Hospital,” he said.

The 52-year-old had a potentially deadly type of heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction).  During any heart attack, especially a STEMI, the sooner blood flow is reestablished to the heart, the less tissue damage and the better the outcome for the patient.

A patient’s STEMI time is how long it takes from arrival in the ER to reestablish blood flow. 

Miller’s STEMI time was 61 minutes.  Central Florida Regional Hospital consistently beats the national STEMI time average of 90 minutes.

To order a free Second Chances calendar, call Consult-A-Nurse at 1-800-445-3392.  You can also read more of our patients’ survival stories on our website at www.centralfloridaregional.com.