Autocross Racer Back in the Driver’s Seat Following Heart Attack

Dan Wolpert, 50, from Worcester, MA, had a family history of heart disease. Yet one night, when he drove himself to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA, he wasn’t aware he was experiencing heart attack symptoms until he collapsed at the emergency department entrance. The clinical staff resuscitated Dan and rushed him to the catheterization lab where they determined he had a 95% blockage in his left anterior descending artery. Dan was also in cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening condition in which the heart is suddenly unable to pump enough blood and oxygen to support the body’s vital organs.

Interventional cardiologist, Dr. Daniel Fisher, inserted the Impella 2.5® heart pump through the femoral artery to support Dan’s weak heart while he placed stents. The next day, the Impella device was removed, and Dan walked out of the hospital nine days later. Dan returned to work, and he now partakes in an active lifestyle, where he enjoys autocross racing and fishing.