By AARON ANDERS
Salina Regional Health Center
There is nothing more exciting and nerve-racking than expecting your first newborn. As new parents expecting twins last June, Andrew and Rachel Krier, of Beloit, know this firsthand. The young couple found themselves at Salina Regional Health Center earlier than expected, as Rachel had high blood pressure and needed iron infusions. The pregnancy was requiring a higher level of care, so Rachel was being monitored at the hospital a week before her scheduled C-section.
A heart-stopping emergency
Ultrasound Technologist Kayla Nuss had just finished doing a sonogram of the twins when she noticed Andrew had stopped speaking in mid-sentence. He had a fixed stare, was slumped halfway out of his chair and was unresponsive. Nuss quickly secured Andrew from falling and within seconds nursing staff, a paramedic student and Amanda Rhyne, MD, were in the room caring for the father-to-be. Lori Faerber, director of Women & Infants Services, heard the commotion and quickly ran to the room, fearing the worst for Rachel.
"When I got to the room, I saw an entire team using their knowledge and skills to provide care to Andrew," says Faerber. "Our team went into action, and Birth Center Nurse Missy Haverfield attended to Rachel while medical professionals worked to resuscitate Andrew and get him down to the Emergency Room."
'It was a miracle'
In the ER, Emergency Medicine Physician Aaron Deeds, MD, found that Andrew had a very low potassium level and was in cardiac arrest—his heart had suddenly stopped pumping.
"It was a miracle that this happened to Andrew when he was at the hospital," says Rachel. "He drove here from Beloit by himself to be here for the sonogram, and if it would have happened when he was driving, he probably wouldn't have made it."
In high school, Andrew had a heart issue that was diagnosed as myocarditis. Myocarditis occurs when the heart muscle becomes inflamed in response to a viral infection.
The morning of her scheduled C-section, Rachel was allowed to visit Andrew briefly in the Intensive Care Unit. He was unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator. She held his hand and prayed for the best, not knowing when he would wake up. While the C-section was happening, ICU staff started the process of taking Andrew off the ventilator in the hope that he would soon regain consciousness, as it sometimes takes days or even weeks to get patients back to a normal state.
The C-section went as planned—Rachel, at 34 weeks pregnant, delivered twins Scarlett and Rusty on June 10, 2023. Later that day, Rachel was surprised to see that Andrew was off the ventilator and conscious. Nurses attached some portable medical equipment to a wheelchair so that Andrew could see the newborn twins in the Birth Center, though his mind and memory were still in a fog.
A couple of days later, Cardiologist Mark Mikinski, MD, advised Andrew to get an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). An ICD is a battery-powered device placed under the skin that keeps track of heart rate. Thin wires connect the ICD to the heart. If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected, the device will deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat.
Life as a new family
Andrew received the ICD procedure, and he recovered several days later. "We are thankful for the quick thinking and actions of the staff, who are true lifesavers," says Rachel. The family got to know the nursing staff really well, as the family was in the hospital for almost an entire month.
The twins, being premature babies, required extra care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Scarlett spent 10 days in the NICU, and Rusty spent 19 days there. The family was excited to head back home together after the newborns were discharged.
The Krier family is now home and doing well. Andrew and Rachel made full recoveries and are back to work.
"It's pretty impressive we are all back at home after surviving the whole ordeal," says Andrew. "We are very fortunate for the care we had, and the staff was great—from the cafeteria down in the basement all the way up to the Birth Center on the sixth floor."