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A UC Davis international student experienced a cardiac event far from home. But thanks to her care team at Sutter Medical Center, she has a new lease on life.Catherine Cai was walking to her class on the UC Davis campus in March when she couldn’t walk anymore, and her heart started feeling weird. A passerby spotted her having trouble, and when she began throwing up, an ambulance was called.The EMTs noticed her heart was racing and her heartbeats were unstable. They rushed her to Sutter Medical Center.Just 10 minutes after arriving in the emergency department, Cai went into cardiac arrest and could be resuscitated with a defibrillator. The medical team continued CPR until they could place her on extracorporeal cardiac life support, or ECMO. It was later found Cai had developed lymphocytic myocarditis, a rare viral infection of the heart muscle.Through her treatment, the heart transplant team was on notice in case her heart did not recover.Cai is from Foshan, China. She was going through the ordeal alone and 7,000 miles away from home.A determined nurse found Cai’s parents in China through social media and let them know what happened to their daughter.Three weeks after her cardiac episode, Cai was discharged from the hospital. Her parents flew from China to Sacramento to celebrate the occasion and express their gratitude to the care team who saved her.On Monday, Cai and her parents visited the hospital to thank all of the physicians, nurses and other clinicians who helped save her life. Cai’s parents wrote a letter to her care team, saying in part: “There is no doubt that Catherine’s new lease on life is a direct result of the unwavering dedication and selfless care provided by the teams at Sutter Medical Center and CVSICU. It is the incredible spirit of teamwork, boundless compassion, and cutting-edge medical expertise of your team that has made Catherine’s remarkable recovery possible.”Cai and her parents will soon return to China.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A UC Davis international student experienced a cardiac event far from home. But thanks to her care team at Sutter Medical Center, she has a new lease on life.
Catherine Cai was walking to her class on the UC Davis campus in March when she couldn’t walk anymore, and her heart started feeling weird. A passerby spotted her having trouble, and when she began throwing up, an ambulance was called.
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The EMTs noticed her heart was racing and her heartbeats were unstable. They rushed her to Sutter Medical Center.
Just 10 minutes after arriving in the emergency department, Cai went into cardiac arrest and could be resuscitated with a defibrillator. The medical team continued CPR until they could place her on extracorporeal cardiac life support, or ECMO. It was later found Cai had developed lymphocytic myocarditis, a rare viral infection of the heart muscle.
Through her treatment, the heart transplant team was on notice in case her heart did not recover.
Cai is from Foshan, China. She was going through the ordeal alone and 7,000 miles away from home.
A determined nurse found Cai’s parents in China through social media and let them know what happened to their daughter.
Three weeks after her cardiac episode, Cai was discharged from the hospital. Her parents flew from China to Sacramento to celebrate the occasion and express their gratitude to the care team who saved her.
On Monday, Cai and her parents visited the hospital to thank all of the physicians, nurses and other clinicians who helped save her life.
Cai’s parents wrote a letter to her care team, saying in part: “There is no doubt that Catherine’s new lease on life is a direct result of the unwavering dedication and selfless care provided by the teams at Sutter Medical Center and CVSICU. It is the incredible spirit of teamwork, boundless compassion, and cutting-edge medical expertise of your team that has made Catherine’s remarkable recovery possible.”
Cai and her parents will soon return to China.
(source)