A Timely Intervention

When rancher Ronald Stuart arrived in the emergency room at Evanston Regional Hospital concerned he had a “stomach bug,” the doctors and nurses recognized his cardiac distress and saved his life.

Ronald had been feeling off for several days, but he downplayed his nausea and sore shoulder. His wife knew better. She told him he wouldn’t get dinner until he went to the ER.

The team at Evanston Regional Hospital recognized Ronald’s symptoms were due to a major cardiac event.

“The next thing I knew, people were hooking me up to tubes,” Ronald says.

When Ronald started to panic, the doctor looked him in the eye and assured him that he was in good hands.

She kept her word. The ER team initiated his cardiac treatment, following the latest evidence-based medicine guidelines. Then he was airlifted to the University of Utah Health. Surgeons there placed stents to open his blocked blood vessels and repaired his aorta. Now, Ronald feels better than ever and is back to work on his ranch, running cattle and training rope horses.

Ronald is grateful the staff in Evanston understood how serious his condition was, even when he didn’t.

“I believe we’re our own best doctors, but if you’re not feeling well, get checked out,” Ronald says. “Without my wife’s insistence and Evanston Regional Hospital, my story would not have had a happy ending.”

Minutes matter when having a heart attack. As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Evanston Regional Hospital has achieved a higher level of expertise when caring for patients who arrive with heart attack symptoms. Evanston Regional Hospital is an affiliate of University of Utah Health. 

If you are experiencing an emergency, call 9-1-1. Patient results may vary. Consult your physician about the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure or treatment.