Wayne's Story
Following heart bypass surgery, Wayne Spetnagel didn’t waste any time when he developed chest pain. The 77-year-old immediately drove himself to the emergency department at Mount Carmel East in Columbus, Ohio where doctors determined Wayne needed a stent to improve blood flow to his heart.
Unfortunately, complications followed when a blood clot formed in the new stent, triggering three heart attacks. Wayne was placed on a ventilator and a surgical opening was made in his windpipe, called a tracheostomy, to support his breathing. Doctors also placed a feeding tube for nutritional support. After two weeks, Wayne’s condition stabilized, but the impact was significant as he was faced with cognitive challenges and unable to breathe on his own, talk, walk or eat.
At the recommendation of his care team, Wayne transitioned to Select Specialty Hospital – Columbus, a critical illness recovery hospital that specializes in treating medically complex patients. Upon arrival, Wayne’s physician-led multidisciplinary team developed a personalized plan to help him get back to the life he loved—writing newsletters for local senior groups and enjoying a weekly game of chair volleyball.
Under the guidance of a pulmonologist, the respiratory therapy team began breathing trials, gradually increasing Wayne’s time off the ventilator while closely monitoring his lung function. Each day, his breathing improved. By day 17, he was freed from the ventilator. A day later, his speech language pathologist attached a Passy-Muir speaking valve to his tracheostomy which allowed him to talk for the first time since being hospitalized. Just three days later, his tracheostomy was removed and he started working with his speech-language pathologist on swallowing exercises to strengthen his throat muscles so he could start to transition to a regular diet.
Wayne’s physical and occupational therapy teams were also preparing him for the next step in his recovery, focusing on rebuilding his strength, range of motion and balance. Physical therapy began with core strengthening exercises, such as having Wayne sit at the edge of his bed. After three days, Wayne’s balance and coordination gains allowed him to stand with assistance. Just nine days later, he took his first steps with his therapists by his side, an important milestone in his recovery.
Occupational therapy also played a key role in Wayne’s recovery, helping him overcome cognitive challenges by identifying objects and patterns and practicing recall with flashcards. This helped Wayne focus his attention and work on problem solving which are important skills for navigating daily tasks.
Throughout his stay, Wayne was motivated by support from his wife, daughter, son-in-law and a community of prayer-team warriors. Wayne’s family spoke highly of the care he received from hospital staff, saying, “Everyone on the team worked very well together and was amazing. He would not have gotten to where he needed to be without the team here.”
The encouragement from his family and friends and Wayne’s hard work in therapy paid off. After three weeks at Select Specialty Hospital, Wayne was breathing on his own, walking 150 feet and talking. His thinking and understanding had improved dramatically, and his swallowing was improving in preparation for a return to eating.
Wayne was ready to transition to the next level of care. For that, Wayne and his family chose OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital to continue his recovery.
As was the case at Select Specialty Hospital, upon admission to OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Wayne’s care team conducted a full assessment. He had made significant strides in his recovery at Select Specialty Hospital, but still required assistance with activities of daily living, including bathing and dressing. Wayne also added 10 feet to his walking exercises and was up to 160 feet with the aid of a physical therapist.
Wayne’s biggest barrier was his cognition, specifically his ability to communicate and swallow properly. He also struggled with executive functioning skills like managing tasks, organizational skills and his working memory.
Despite these limitations, Wayne’s physician-led rehabilitation team – physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as nurses and a dietician – developed a plan that would build his strength, improve executive functioning and restore communication abilities.
Already having built enough strength to walk, Wayne’s exercises in physical therapy focused on balance and endurance. Therapists had Wayne stand on foam pads and perform exercises that included standing on one foot, squatting and bending forward. Once comfortable with those balance exercises, Wayne moved on to practicing navigating stairs. Physical therapists also enhanced his dynamic balance by having him stand on one leg with his eyes closed, walking heal-to-toe in a straight line and marching in place with knee lifts.
Wayne also spent time on an exercise bike to further boost endurance. This allowed him to tackle longer walks through the hallways of the hospital. The hard work, exercises and biking paid off and Wayne began walking up to 600 feet just three weeks after he had taken his first steps following surgery.
As he grew stronger in physical therapy, Wayne took significant steps in occupational therapy as well. Using an interactive touchscreen on which he would play games, therapists assessed his coordination and brain function each day. The games challenged his visual scanning, functional reach and reaction speed. To further develop his visual scanning functionality, Wayne also performed tasks where he needed to detect patterns, identify objects on a page and locate images.
Therapists also combined Wayne’s therapies as he performed standing endurance dual-task exercises. While standing, Wayne would recite the alphabet or count to a certain number. These types of exercises combined a cognitive task with a physical challenge, promoting both physical and mental endurance.
Tackling his biggest barrier, Wayne worked diligently in speech therapy. He strengthened his muscles by using a resistance device, where he took a deep breath and exhaled as forcefully as possible against the resistance.
Wayne also took part in a Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBS). The study is a dynamic X-ray procedure where he swallowed various food and liquid consistencies mixed with barium contrast agent so therapists could observe the swallowing process and detect if food or liquid was entering his lungs, rather than the esophagus. This also guided his speech therapists regarding which foods and liquids were safest for Wayne as he continued to work towards a normal diet.
As he had done throughout his journey, Wayne’s time at OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital was defined by working hard to achieve his goals. He was communicating with his family and rehabilitation team at a higher level and his cognition had improved significantly. Wayne regained much of his independence, completing activities of daily living without assistance, as well as safely walking distances he would experience at home.
After just two weeks, Wayne discharged home to his family, with plans to continue with home health support. He looks forward to spending time with loved ones and returning to his newsletter writing.