Marlene Kramer
When 73-year-old Marlene Kramer from Inverness first noticed heart palpitations, she assumed it was nothing serious — maybe too much coffee. “I really had an ‘I’ll wait, it’s fine’ kind of attitude,” she recalls. But what started as a minor concern revealed a life-threatening condition that required complex open — heart surgery.
From palpitations to diagnosis
In November, Marlene experienced intermittent palpitations and visited her primary care physician. He advised her to go to the ER, but after speaking with her nephrologist Marlene opted to schedule a cardiology appointment instead. “I thought the symptoms were nothing major,” she says. She even traveled to Virginia for the holidays before seeing her cardiologist in January.
Initial tests looked promising: her carotids were clear, calcium scores were excellent, and there was no sign of atherosclerosis. But a heart catheterization revealed the truth: calcium deposits on her aortic valve and an ascending aortic aneurysm without rupture. “They told me I needed to be ‘cracked open,’” Marlene says.
Meeting the surgical team
When Marlene met cardiac surgeon Dr. Ernesto Jimenez his calm confidence put her at ease. “He said, ‘I can do this. We’ll just make a little incision, take that out, put a graft back in, and you’ll be fine.’ He’s not excitable; very caring and personable,” she shares. Seeing the awards displayed at the cardiac surgery office reinforced her trust: “That makes you feel really good.”
Preparing for surgery
The team guided Marlene through pre-registration and explained every detail, including the need for a caregiver after discharge. Her sister stepped in to help. “They had me squared away as a ‘fast pass’ for the morning of surgery,” Marlene says.
The day that changed everything
On surgery day, Marlene found comfort in prayer and the support of friends. The anesthesiologist explained the process with a reassuring tone: “He said they were going to chill me down 20 degrees to slow my heart rate and put me in a state of hibernation before putting me on the heart-lung machine.”
The procedure was extensive, but Marlene woke up pain-free in the CVICU. “Seeing the sunrise from CVICU was beautiful. I even took pictures. God speaks to you in different ways, and I know He was there. I saw the sunrise and thought, ‘Oh, I made it… how nice is that.’”
After two days in CVICU and four in CVPCU, Marlene was ready to go home.
What stood out most
One moment left a lasting impression: “Dr. Jimenez came through after surgery and said, ‘Good morning, you did great!’ His PA was writing everything down, and all the residents were outside my room. He started teaching them about what to look for. That’s when I realized this is a teaching hospital. It isn’t just ‘get ’er done.’”
She also praises the seamless teamwork: “Everyone worked so well together. It’s like being at the Ritz Carlton. You know everything’s going to be fine.”
A message of gratitude
Today, Marlene is grateful for the expertise and compassion that saved her life. “From start to finish, they made me feel safe and cared for. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”