also grateful for his family,
friends, andmedical team.
“My whole life depended on
Mercy Medical Center Redding
and Dr. Pottmeyer, and they
came through,” he says.
Theheart of care
Duke’s successful valve sur-
gery is just one example of the
comprehensive cardiac services
at the Mercy Heart Center—from
diagnosis to treatment to recovery.
The center o ers a wide range of
cardiac services, including heart
valve repair and replacement.
Dr. Pottmeyer
and the heart
center teamare
able to perform
coronary artery
bypass surgery
without stopping
the heart. This
type of surgery
avoids the need
for a heart-lung
machine. It’s
technically challenging. But at
MMCR, about 90 percent of
heart surgeries can be done that
way, reducing postoperative side
e ects and helping patients get
back to their lives quickly.
“You don’t have to travel to San
Francisco or Sacramento to get
quality heart care anymore,”
Dr. Pottmeyer says. “The quality
that’s delivered at Mercy Medical
Center Redding is every bit as good
as it is in the larger cities for the
majority of situations.”
Duke had
been seeing a
cardiologist in the
Bay Area and knew
he’d need a new heart
valve. One day a friend at
church mentioned that he’d had
open-heart surgery at Mercy Medi-
cal Center Redding (MMCR). After
hearing his friend’s experience,
he turned to MMCR. His cardiac
surgeon, Edward W. Pottmeyer,
MD, replaced Duke’s faulty aortic
valve on April 4, 2014.
“Surgery can often help so
many patients return to their
normal function and lifestyle,”
Dr. Pottmeyer says.
A healing journey
Duke left the hospital after only
three days and began his road to re-
covery. With his doctor’s approval,
he gradually began to exercise.
“At rst it was just walking across
the street, resting and coming
back,” he says. “Every day I pushed
a few feet farther.”
Duke says he’s now getting stron-
ger every day. He’s back to work
at the U.S. Forest Service and
is already walking, biking and
swimming again. “I feel 15 years
younger,” he says. He’s even look-
ing forward to scaling Mt. Lassen.
He credits his faith rst. And he’s
Find award-
winning care
at Mercy’s
Heart Center
Whether you need heart surgery or
help managing a cardiac condition,
it’s good to know there’s access to
award-winning care.
Mercy Medical Center Redding
has garnered the following honors
for taking good care of hearts:
Ranked among the best
for coronary bypass surgery
outcomes by Consumer Reports
(one of only five hospitals in
California)
Five-star recipient for treatment
of heart attack in 2014
One of the Healthgrades
America’s 100 Best Hospitals
for Cardiac Surgery™ 2013
Healthgrades Cardiac Surgery
Excellence Award™ 2013
Five-star recipient for valve
surgery for two years in a row
(2012 to 2013)
Five-star recipient for heart
failure treatment for two years
in a row (2012 to 2013)
Give your heart the
care it deserves. Take
our heart health
assessment today at
dignityhealth.org/heart.
Edward W.
Pottmeyer, MD
Medical Director,
cardiothoracic
surgery
Act of kindness No. 5:
Share a heart-healthy snack with a
friend at work.
13
Dignity Health
