Christina Gehringer

Hurricane Beryl left many Houston area residents without power for days. Many people, like Christina Gehringer who has a history of health issues and relies on a portable oxygen machine for her congestive heart failure, were left in peril when their medical devices stopped working.

When she started not feeling well, she went to see Dr. Pranav Loyalka, HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division director of structural heart disease, heart failure, heart transplant, and mechanical circulatory support and renowned cardiologist at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center. Dr. Loyalka assessed her and realized that without her portable oxygen machine, she was experiencing an overload of fluids. Due to the severity of her symptoms, she was rushed to the emergency department and later admitted for further treatment and monitoring.

During her stay at HCA Houston Medical Center, Gehringer was cared for by registered nurse Kenzie Everett who spent time learning about Gehringer’s medical history, visiting with her family, and actively listening to their needs. After a few days of caring for Gehringer, Everett recognized that her patient’s condition was changing. She was nauseous, and her blood pressure and oxygen levels declined. Due to her deteriorating condition, Everett activated the rapid response team to save her life.

Gehringer was sent for multiple scans and tests to identify the cause. When she returned to her room, she still didn’t feel well. Everett noticed her speech was slurred and she had a drooping smile. Everett knew that Gehringer had a history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), aneurysms and a stroke.

Time is of the essence when someone is experiencing a stroke. Everett recognized the warning signs and symptoms of a stroke and initiated Code Stroke. Her fast action saved Gehringer’s life for the second time. She was diagnosed with severe stenosis, which can cause stroke-like symptoms. 

“If we didn’t catch the stenosis, this could have led to further stroke-like symptoms and further complications,” said Everett.

Gehringer credits nurse Everett with saving her life twice. By actively listening to Gehringer, thoroughly learning her patient’s medical history and following her instincts, Everett was able to make quick decisions that saved Gehringer’s life.

HCA Houston Medical Center was recently recognized by the American Heart Association for achieving the Target: Aortic Stenosis™ Honor Roll award for its commitment to improving care for aortic stenosis (AS), an undertreated heart valve disease. AS is one of the most common and serious heart valve disease problems. More than 1.7 million Americans over age 65 have severe aortic stenosis, and without valve replacement, as few as half survive beyond two years. However, many patients are unaware or undiagnosed, which is why the American Heart Association continues to drive efforts for timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, improved quality of care initiatives and comprehensive patient and caregiver resources to combat the disease.