Steve Remund
Steve Remund suffered a heart attack and survived due to the quick action of his wife, Diana, who performed bystander CPR with help of KCFD EMS.
Recollections of Sept. 10, 2022, are nearly nonexistent to George “Steve” Remund, 69, a lifelong resident of Kansas City.
“It was Saturday morning and my wife heard a thud on the floor,” says Steve, who had suffered a ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) — a complete blockage in his coronary artery — as well as cardiac arrest. “She immediately called 911 and they directed her to start CPR. She has been trained in CPR but it was a long time ago. The 911 dispatcher, Angel, provided instructions on how to proceed. Soon thereafter the ambulance came and they continued working on me and got my heart going. Of course, I remember nothing of this.”
Steve had been living his best life, enjoying sports, remodeling, playing the guitar and spending time with his daughter and new grandchild. Other than having gallbladder surgery with accompanying back pain a couple of months prior to his STEMI and cardiac arrest, he has never had any heart issues.
Steve was taken by Kansas City Fire Department EMS to Research Medical Center where Interventional Cardiologist Alec D. Weisberg, MD, placed a stent to relieve the coronary blockage.
He would stay in the hospital for 10 days before being discharged into the cardiac rehab program at Research Medical Center.
“Dr. Weisberg was a great help to my wife and me throughout this ordeal, as were the rest of my care team. The hospitalists were a huge help and comfort to my wife,” Steve says. “Thanks to all the other nurses and staff who put up with me. I believe I was unconscious for three days and I guess my mind had a hard time catching up when I came to.”
During his time in cardiac rehab, Steve credits the rehab staff with keeping him motivated to keep up with his exercises.
“I am in good shape now, still following up with Dr. Weisberg. I had no heart damage,” Steve says. “I have been watching my diet to reduce the amount of fats and cholesterol I eat.”
He also credits his wife, Diana, and the 911 dispatcher who intervened to save his life through CPR. In May 2023, Steve and Diana reunited with his cardiac care team at RMC and the KCFD EMS, including Angel, at the Great Save Event where Steve and Diana spoke about the importance of knowing CPR.
According to the American Heart Association, the 2023 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics state that among the over 356,000 cardiac arrests that have occurred outside of the hospital, only 40.2% received bystander CPR. If CPR is performed immediately, a person's chance of survival from an out of hospital cardiac arrest can double or triple.