Dr. Amos Szajner had been having flu-like symptoms for about a week when he decided to give himself a check-up.
At first, he didn’t think much of his illness since he was healthy and active. In an interview months later, he described his lifestyle:
“Despite suffering a heart attack in 2011, I’ve always lived an active lifestyle. I’m an avid rock climber, I manage a hobby farm with my wife, Sue, and I travel regularly with my family.”
The anesthesiologist popped into the hospital he worked in, Alomere Health in Alexandria, Minnesota, and hooked himself up to a monitor to check his vitals.
And that’s the last thing he remembers about that day.
Perfect timing
Szajner was sicker than he realized and passed out on the floor of the room, all alone.
Lucky for him, someone spotted him. It was Kendal Hofstad, a hospital custodian.
“I opened the door and I thought I saw from the corner of my eye some scrubs lying on the floor. I didn’t think anything of it,” Hofstad told WCCO News in Minneapolis.
After giving it a little more thought, Hofstad realized something was amiss, and what he found on the floor shocked him.
“I thought I better go over there and check it out and I did, and Dr. Szajner was on the floor, unresponsive,” he recalled.
A serious illness
It turns out Dr. Szanjer did not have the flu. After Hofstad called for help just in time, it took 12 minutes of CPR and multiple shocks to the heart to get the doctor stabilized so he could be rushed to CentraCare in St. Cloud via helicopter.
It’s unlikely he would have lived much longer had the custodian simply turned around and left.
When the diagnosis came in, everyone realized how dramatic the situation truly was. Szanjer had a blood clot in an artery.
A new lease on life
Szanjer’s doctor at CentraCare, Dr. Daniel James Tiede, told WCCO: “He was initially showing very serious signs of brain injury and heart injury.”
Luckily, the patient was in the right place to get treatment and a chance to try out some new technology. Dr. Tiede removed the clot, implanted a stent, and used something called an Impella Pump to help get Szanjer’s blood flowing again. And that’s when Szanjer started to improve.
“I don’t know without the pump if Dr. Szajner would have survived,” Tiede said. “It’s almost miraculous.”
The Impella Pump allowed his heart to rest and recover from the trauma.
Saying thank you
Not only was Szanjer lucky enough to have the custodian find him just in time, but he managed to be transferred to the right doctor who was able to perform a novel surgery.
Hofstad told WCCO that he was happy to see Szanjer doing better, and the two men have gotten to know each other better as a result. After all, without Hofstad, all the technology in the world wouldn’t have done any good. The doctor would have likely passed away on the floor of the hospital.
“When this happened we became better friends, definitely,” Szajner said of Hofstad.
The anesthesiologist now has a new lease on life.
“Today, I am working full-time and rock climbing with my family. Every day is a blessing from God and I’m so grateful to spend my time with my family.”
Be sure to tune in to the video below to see a heartwarming interview about the lucky save!
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