Maryland's Health Matters - Capital Region - Fall 2017 - 7

FAMILY HISTORY MATTERS

and lifestyle counseling program that

Ashton was shocked. "I did have short-

helps patients make the adjustments they

ness of breath earlier that day, but I didn't

need to keep their hearts strong. "I can't

think anything of it," she says. "In hind-

speak highly enough about the quality of

sight I should have, because my father

care that I received from Dr. Brown and

had triple bypass surgery and my mom

his team," she says.

Mark Srour, the 56-year-old owner of

REDEFINING
COMMUNITYBASED
CARDIAC
SURGERY

to UM PGHC,

a sports bar and restaurant in College

The cardiac surgery program

where she met a

Park, echoes that sentiment. He also had

at UM PGHC features:

team of cardiac

open-heart surgery at the hospital to

care experts that

restore healthy blood flow to his heart.

had quadruple bypass surgery in her 50s.
My mom died of a heart attack last year."
Ashton was quickly transported

included James

A SILVER LINING

Like Ashton, Srour's atherosclerosis

■ Cardiac specialists in the
operating room and intensive

M. Brown, MD.

was due to inherited heart risks. His

care unit who have trained

Dr. Brown-a

grandfather died of a heart attack at

at the University of Maryland

age 42, and his father had had bypass

Medical Center

world-class heart

STACY ASHTON

surgeon and an associate professor of

surgery and suffered a heart attack.

cardiac surgery at the University of

Yet, Srour says, "I never thought I would

Maryland School of Medicine-joined the

have to go through this. I lift weights

hospital in 2014 to help launch the

and jog and keep myself healthy."

revamped cardiac surgery program.
The original plan was to place a stent

Although he had been taking
cholesterol-lowering medication, Srour's

in Ashton's blocked artery to allow blood

cholesterol readings kept inching up,

to flow freely again, but angiograms

and a series of stress tests suggested

showed that more than one artery was

a more serious problem. An ultrasound

clogged. She was told she needed

revealed blockages that required

open-heart bypass surgery, in which the

a bypass procedure.

■ State-of-the-art operating
suites with the latest cardiac
care equipment
■ Patient-centered care model
that emphasizes quality,
safety and an exceptional
patient experience

the reset button and get him even more

surgeon would graft veins taken from her

Srour had his

leg to bypass the blocked portion of her

operation in June

arteries. "The goal of surgery was to

and three days

revascularize the heart and prevent future

later was ahead

start the second part of my life," he

problems," says Dr. Brown.

of the game in his

says. And he knows just whom to thank.

"At that point my two daughters were

recovery, likely due

disciplined about eating well, exercising
daily and learning to manage stress."
Srour is on board. "I can't wait to

MARK SROUR

"Dr. Brown did a fantastic job on me.

there, and we just sort of fell apart,"

to his high fitness

Ashton recalls. Surgery was delayed for

level. "Most patients get discharged

guy who pushed a chair behind me

a few days to allow fluid in her lungs

four to six days after surgery," he says.

when I was first walking in the hospital

to dissipate, which gave her time to

"I was out in three." He is now eating

to the nurses and the doctor himself.

let the diagnosis sink in. "Dr. Brown's

a low-fat, high-fiber diet and walking

I can't recommend them enough." 

team all came in. They were so sweet

more each day.

and reassured me that everything was
going to be OK."
Seven days after her surgery, Ashton

Srour's relatively rapid recuperation
and his bright outlook are also aided
by the fact that he did not suffer a heart

was discharged and started the long

attack, and thus no heart tissue was

recovery process, including home visits

damaged. "My blood flow is 100 percent,

from the cardiac team and physical

and I can feel it," he says.

therapy. Last summer, she finished cardiac
rehabilitation, a structured exercise

"Mark's diagnosis was a silver lining,"
says Dr. Brown. "It gives us a chance to hit

He has an unbelievable crew, from the

LEARN MORE
For more information about
the cardiac surgery program
at University of Maryland
Prince George's Hospital Center,
call 301-618-2131 or visit
umcapitalregion.org.

umcapitalregion.org | Fall 2017

 7
http://www.umcapitalregion.org http://www.umcapitalregion.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - Capital Region - Fall 2017
