“Without this type of expert care and rapid response, no one would argue that I would have had a much different outcome.” Dan Jensen
Dan Jensen likes to joke that God saved him from having to run an exhausting marathon.
Truth be told, a terrifying incident during an early training session would unfold into a story
of miracles for Jensen.
In September 2006, the 40-year-old father of three collapsed after experiencing sudden
dizziness during a routine run with his father-in-law.
After some initial testing and a CT scan of his head at the nearest emergency room,
Jensen was diagnosed and treated for an inner-ear imbalance. He was then hurriedly
discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately for the Jensen family, this diagnosis would
prove to be entirely incorrect.
Showing little improvement over the course of the night, Jensen visited his primary care
doctor early the next morning. His physician, convinced that the condition was much more
serious, scheduled Jensen an appointment with a neurologist – but not until the following
week.
By that evening, Jensen’s vertigo had worsened severely. “I felt like I was on a merry-go-
round at the fair and couldn’t get my balance,” says Jensen. “Fortunately for me, my wife
Donita has been an RN at St. Joseph’s Hospital for 18 years and insisted that I go to their
emergency room. She knew St. Joseph’s was the best place to be if I had a serious
neurological problem.”
The on-site physician at St. Joseph’s emergency room discovered that something was
drastically wrong. With the threat of an initial misdiagnosis, Jensen was immediately
admitted to St. Joseph’s for further care. An MRI showed that he was suffering from a
cerebellar infarct – a stroke. Jensen was given the appropriate stroke-relief medication.
However, the seriousness of his condition was only beginning.
Tariq Janjua, MD, neurointensivist and medical director of neurocritical care, was on duty
the morning Jensen developed massive bleeding in the brain. Three arteries in his brain
had burst; and time was fading. Dr. Janjua and the entire neurovascular team immediately
responded to the code blue called as Jensen went into respiratory arrest.
“Dan was comatose – dying before our eyes,” says Dr. Janjua. “I put in a breathing tube
and stabilized his bleeding with medications. The CT scan confirmed the source of
Jensen’s hemorrhaging – three arteries had ruptured.” Together with Kathy Tautges,
clinical manager of the neuro-ICU, and the anesthesiologist, Dr. Janjua prepped and
rushed Jensen into surgery within minutes.
Eric Nussbaum, MD, vascular neurosurgeon and chair of HealthEast Neurovascular
Institute (former name of the National Brain Aneurysm Center), began emergency surgery
on Jensen. During the first of three operations, Dr. Nussbaum performed a procedure on
the right side of Jensen’s head to relieve the pressure rapidly building inside his brain.
“The intracranial pressure was approximately five times the normal rate,” explains Dr.
Janjua. “Dan would have died without Dr. Nussbaum’s immediate intervention.”
Additional surgeries performed on Jensen by Dr. Nussbaum included repairing Jensen’s
blown artery using an innovative wrapping technique, as well as creating a permanent
passage way to help drain excess fluid from the brain.
“Dr. Nussbaum is an incredibly gifted neurosurgeon who’s doing innovative procedures
not being done anywhere else in the country. Our community is so fortunate to have him
right here at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” says Jensen. “But even more amazing is the
neurovascular team approach at HealthEast. My life was saved numerous times by this
team. What they’re doing is the real story.”
“Our goal is to help each patient return to the highest quality of life, as quickly as
possible,” says Dr. Janjua. “We didn’t just save a life that day. We saved a father.”
Jensen couldn’t agree more. “I credit this team with not only saving my life, but providing
me with the quality of life that I currently have,” says Jensen. “Without this type of expert
care and rapid response, no one would argue that I would have had a much different
outcome. And even though I don’t plan on running any marathons soon, I am thrilled to be
here to watch my kids grow up.”
