Heart-attack survivor highlights importance of heart care for women

Deanne Smith wants you to know that heart disease is the number one killer of women.

“It doesn’t stop your world if it’s caught in time," said Smith. “Get an EKG. Get a CT scan. Do what you need to do.”

On a Thursday in 2023, Smith was at the karate academy she runs with her husband when she started having difficulty breathing.

“I couldn’t catch my breath,” said Smith, who had a history of heart attacks dating back to 2008. She headed for her nitroglycerine, a medication to prevent and treat chest pain, but she didn’t make it. Her daughter found her collapsed on the floor.

“My whole body gave way,” Smith said.

Smith was brought to Sentara Leigh Hospital. Fortunately, her cardiologist, Matthew Summers, M.D., director of Sentara's Structural Heart Center, was on call.

“I had to be taken into surgery,” Smith said. “And here I am. I’m alive to tell the story.”

Dr. Summers said that Smith had developed a sudden blockage despite being on multiple medications.

“We were able to treat her very readily with a stent and fix what amounts to the worst kind of heart attack, which is a sudden blockage rupturing open,” said Dr. Summers.

Heart disease in women tends to go untreated

Women are more likely to have heart failure than men, but they are substantially less likely to receive treatment, according to the American Heart Association.

Around 44% of women in the U.S. are living with some form of heart disease, a term that includes conditions like blood vessel disease (coronary artery disease), heart valve disease, and irregular heartbeats (arrythmias). Heart disease can lead to a heart attack, heart failure, or a stroke.

Historically, heart disease has been undertreated in women, according to Dr. Summers. Symptoms in women can be different than in men.

“Ms. Smith encapsulates a lot of what we now know about heart health in women,” he said. “The symptoms aren’t always the traditional symptoms that we would recognize easily.”

Women are more likely to have less common symptoms such as indigestion, shortness of breath, back pain, cold sweats, and nausea, explained Dr. Summers. Although chest pain or discomfort is the most common warning signal for a heart attack, in some cases, women may not experience this.

A major risk factor for heart disease in both men and women is high blood pressure. However, women face specific risk factors for heart disease related to reproductive health and pregnancy, such as early menopause (before age 40), diabetes during pregnancy, and preterm delivery.

Dr. Summers highlighted that heart disease treatments have rapidly progressed in recent years, making live-saving care possible for the vast majority of patients.

The Sentara Heart Hospital participates in clinical trials and provides cutting-edge care for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatments for diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

“Over the past ten years, we’ve continued to improve treatments and heart valve devices while using them with increasingly lower surgical risk,” said Dr. Summers.

‘There is life after heart failure’

Smith praised Dr. Summers’ bedside manner, his kindness, and his ability to explain complex medical conditions.

“He’s a godsend,” she said. “Dr. Matthew Summers is just phenomenal.”

Smith has always been an active person, and she’s still active today.

“There is life after heart failure,” she said.

Her father had heart disease, but she did not know that it could be hereditary. She wants all women to be made aware of the risk posted by heart disease. In 2023, heart disease was responsible for the deaths of 304,970 women—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.

“It can happen to you. It can. I hope it doesn’t,” Smith said. “With your help, with everybody’s help, we can all get this word out. Women shouldn’t have to suffer.”

She tells every woman she meets to get her heart checked.

“Every woman I encounter, I’m telling them about heart disease,” she said. “Every woman I speak to, I say, ‘Please get your heart checked.’”

Dr. Summers said, “Don’t ignore your symptoms. Heart problems manifest themselves when you ask more of your heart, even if it’s walking up a flight of steps.”

You can learn more about heart disease here. You can learn about Sentara’s heart care options here.