Shock
After Shock

Despite being a critical care nurse, Wendy says she flew into “a weird panic mode—an out-of-body experience.”

It was shocking. Jack, healthy and athletic, had no history of medical issues. Now, he was unconscious and convulsing without any why or wherefore.

Paramedics arrived promptly. One, who Wendy knew from her own work at the VA, did an EKG on Jack in the living room, after which the family rushed to the Emergency Department at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Doctors evaluated Jack and ran several tests, but the results were inconclusive. Jack was young and otherwise healthy, so the family left without a definitive diagnosis.

The next day, the paramedic who had initially treated Jack called. Equally puzzled, he’d taken a closer look at the EKG and told Wendy he suspected Jack might have Brugada syndrome, an extremely rare genetic heart condition that can trigger sudden cardiac arrest without warning. Roughly 1 in 2,000 to 5,000 people worldwide have Brugada syndrome, with an estimated 0.05% to 0.1% prevalence in Jack’s age group.

“But I can’t diagnose,” the paramedic said. So Wendy tapped her medical network, which included Mark Greenberg, MD, the retired founder of DHMC’s cardiac electrophysiology program. The connection led her to Evan Grove, MD, a cardiologist at DHMC, who made sure Jack was seen the next day.

Within 24 hours, Dr. Grove and his colleague Jason Trenkle, MPAS, PA-C, confirmed the paramedic’s hunch: Jack did have Brugada syndrome.

“Brugada syndrome is not well-known and very unpredictable,” explains Dr. Grove. “A person can have a normal EKG for years and then suddenly experience a life-threatening rhythm. Fortunately, in Jack’s case, a drug test helped confirm the diagnosis.”

Dealing with Diagnosis

To prevent potentially fatal arrhythmias that were likely to arise due to Brugada syndrome, Jack needed medication and surgery to implant a defibrillator.

“Being just out of college, the prospect of heart surgery was intimidating,” Jack says. “But Dr. Grove made it a lot less scary. He really helped me understand my condition and feel comfortable with the diagnosis and treatment.”

In August 2021, Jack underwent surgery to have the defibrillator placed. But just months later, in January 2022, his father found him collapsed on the floor—again. This time, Jack’s newly implanted device detected the dangerous rhythm and shocked Jack’s heart back to normal.

“If he hadn’t had the defibrillator, there’s a real chance he would have died,” says Dr. Grove. “That made us feel good. We knew it saved him.”

After another visit to the ED, Jack was swiftly admitted and stabilized. The Wozniak family was grateful not just for the advanced care, but that it was available just miles from their home in White River Junction, Vermont.

“Everything Jack needed was right here,” Wendy says. “And thank goodness, because time really mattered.”

Today, DHMC’s Heart and Vascular Center is working to expand access for families like the Wozniaks across the region. The new Patient Pavilion at DHMC, opened in 2023, added 64 new private rooms dedicated to heart and vascular care. As more floors in the Pavilion open in the coming months, more patients like Jack can receive life-saving care, close to home and without delay.