St. Luke’s Fruitland nurse, Army vet becomes patient, ‘lucky’ to have team help after heart attack

Even though he has not yet hit his first full year as a team member at St. Luke’s Fruitland, Enrico “Bobby” Brown says, “I’m lucky to be working there.”

That took on even more meaning back in March for the licensed practical nurse at the medical plaza, which features a 24-hour emergency department, imaging, clinics and is a Level II STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) center as designated by the Idaho State Time Sensitive Emergencies Council.

Being heart aware and well-trained, Brown gained a further appreciation for them when he started to feel strange late in the morning of his shift.

“It felt like my lungs were on fire,” Brown said. “It felt like the gas chamber (exercise) we did in basic training (in the Army). I thought at first it could be anxiety, as I had quit smoking about two months prior.

“It came and went. I did my job evaluating patients, but I was evaluating myself, too.”

Around 7 p.m., checking on his last patient of the day, he was hit with an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Brown went to the nurse’s station and put his hands on the desk. Sweat started pouring.

“I knew exactly what it was — I was having a heart attack,” Brown said.

Nurse Larry Green suggested Brown be set up with an electrocardiogram to detect his heart’s activity. Medical assistant Beatriz Daniel took charge and quickly realized an ED visit was necessary. Along with imagining, a cardiac troponin test was ordered and with elevated levels, the decision was made to send Brown to the St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center for further evaluation.

By the time an ambulance arrived and another test was done, the troponin levels had almost tripled. It was time to leave immediately.

“This situation also underscored the critical value of having highly competent and efficient laboratory and imaging teams,” said Amanda Mendive, Fruitland Urgent Care manager. “Their expertise and responsiveness are invaluable in rapidly determining a diagnosis and guiding next steps in care.

“We are fortunate to have some of the finest lab and imaging technicians working in our building. While their work often happens behind the scenes, they are truly the backbone of what we do in this facility and their contributions were essential to this outcome.”

After arriving in Boise at the cardiac catheterization lab, Brown was X-rayed and then quickly wheeled into surgery to have a stent placed.

About 24 hours later, he was discharged. He told Mendive he would be back at work in a few days. She told him to take his time, even though he had never missed a day.

Following proper precautions and resting, Brown was back at work about a week later and said he feels great today, heeding the cardiology team’s recommendations, including reducing his sodium intake.

“Bobby is a wonderful caregiver himself, and I am deeply grateful that he is recovering well,” Mendive said.

Following eight years in the infantry with the Army, Brown eventually found his way to nursing and it clicked — he wanted to help people. He has been a nurse for 15 years and had long eyed an opportunity to work at St. Luke’s.

He said Mendive “is really one of the best supervisors I’ve ever had,” and credits his team’s knowledge and care for helping get him during what could’ve been a progressively more dire situation.

“I love it out there, how well everyone works together … I guess I’ve kind of seen it now on both sides,” Brown said.

• Heart attack warning signs include heavy chest pressure (squeezing or burning in the chest or abdomen fullness), extreme discomfort (including nausea and unusual fatigue), arm pain (can include the back, neck or jaw) and respiratory difficulties (shortness of breath with or without chest pain).
• If a heart attack is suspected, call 911 and do not drive or have someone drive you. Paramedics can help more quickly and save precious minutes.

Check out St. Luke’s page on heart attack warning signs, including emergency care locations and more on our cardiology teams.