On March 24, 2022, Michael Cravalho was feeling under the weather and thought he was just coming down with a bad case of the flu, so he tried sleeping off the symptoms.
A long-time diabetic, Michael decided to check his blood pressure and found it was extremely low. His wife rushed him to the Emergency Department at Pali Momi Medical Center.
Once admitted, a routine electrocardiogram (EKG) revealed that Michael had been having a massive heart attack for 15 hours. Michael was immediately rushed to Pali Momi’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, where Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Sanah Christopher placed a stent in his heart to open one of two blocked arteries.
Michael's diabetes added to the complexity of his case, as the condition affected his kidneys' ability to filter out waste from his blood.
Stent placement procedures require contrast dye to visualize and guide the stent into the heart. Although necessary, there is the potential risk of damage to the kidneys from the dye.
In Michael's case, this was a concern due to the possibility of permanent renal failure.
All this considered, the Pali Momi team carefully monitored Michael and allowed his body to recover before undergoing a second procedure to place another stent in his heart.
Thankfully, Michael recovered quickly and avoided permanent damage to his kidneys and heart.
Today, Michael is healthy and continues doing the things he loves – playing drums for his church and going golfing with his wife and 10-year-old daughter.
Watch the video below for Michael's full story and to hear from Michael, his family and Dr. Christopher about this inspiring story of hope.
The Hawaii Pacific Health Heart Centers are home to a distinguished team of expert cardiologists who are setting the bar for cardiovascular care and cutting-edge technology for heart services in Hawaii. Our Heart Centers brings together four medical centers – Kapiolani, Pali Momi, Straub and Wilcox – that work together to diagnose and treat the full spectrum of heart and vascular conditions for all patients, from infants to those with advanced disease. Our faculty and attending physicians provide deep expertise across multiple specialties and conditions from congenital heart disease, women’s heart health, structural and coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, hypertension and cardiac rehabilitation.
Learn more about cardiovascular care in Hawaii on our Hawaii Pacific Health Heart Centers webpage.
Published on: October 4, 2023
