Joplin woman recovering from rare heart condition after treatment at Freeman

It’s a type of emergency heart condition that primarily affects previously healthy women, often a few weeks after giving birth. One such woman was Joplin mother of four, Kate Spencer.

Spencer felt intense squeezing in her chest and a painful burning in her neck early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, despite being in great physical condition with no history of heart disease.

At the Freeman Emergency Room, she was told she had experienced a severe heart attack and needed to see a cardiologist right away.

“I’m 43 years old and healthy,” Spencer says. “I had worked out with a personal trainer three times a week. Dr. Kim came in and he thought I had had SCAD, which is Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection.

Spencer had given birth a few weeks before the episode.

SCAD can cause heart attacks and even sudden death if it’s not promptly diagnosed.

Dr. Kim, an Interventional Cardiologist at Freeman, says the condition is extremely rare.

“The numbers are very small,” he comments “The Mayo Clinic Register has less than 190 patients at this time.”

Spencer was treated by Dr. Kim and Dr. Robert Stouffer at the Freeman Heart and Vascular Institute.

Dr. Kim says the condition happens when the inner lining of the coronary artery splits or tears.

He says stents are generally NOT used and Spencer’s case resolved with medical treatment including blood pressure medication, blood thinners and statin drugs.