John Heitman of Pacifica used to love walking the many trails and beaches around his home. It helped him stay healthy and enjoy nature.

The one thing he loved most was walking across Linda Mar beach with his wife. But last summer the 72-year-old noticed some alarming changes.

“I started having tightness in my chest,” Heitman said. “And it would get to the point where I would have to stop and find a seat or log and sit down.”

The tightness got worse each week. By October, Heitman finally made an appointment to see his doctor. It turned out he was experiencing symptoms of a very serious condition. Heitman was having a mini-heart attack.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be that serious, but I had been ignoring the symptoms,” Heitman said.

Heitman was immediately referred to a team of cardiac specialists at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, including cardiothoracic surgeon Ahmad Sheikh, MD. “Several blood vessels in the heart were blocked,” Dr. Sheikh said. “The heart wasn’t getting blood.”

Heitman was diagnosed with severe coronary disease and needed triple bypass surgery.

Hospitals and cardiac teams recognized

Kaiser Permanente Northern California has three cardiac surgical programs in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

Their cardiovascular surgery teams were recently recognized by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons with the highest rating — 3 stars — for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures from 2021 to 2024. That’s the very same procedure Heitman had last October.

The 3-star rating places Kaiser Permanente cardiovascular surgery teams in the elite for heart bypass surgery in the United States and Canada. The society’s rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care. It is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures.

“These are life essential procedures,” said Dr. Sheikh, who performed Heitman’s operation. “Patients often present with very advanced symptoms and are very ill. Patients require timely surgery with highly specialized teams.”

On the road toward recovery

Dr. Sheikh added that if Heitman did not seek help, with the degree of coronary artery blockages he had, “he might very well have had a catastrophic event.”

Heitman’s surgery was successful, and he is now recovering at home. “They did a fantastic job,” Heitman said about his medical team.

Heitman is taking additional measures to keep his heart in good shape, like eating healthy foods and monitoring his blood pressure.

“I have no more tightness in the chest. I’m able to get on my treadmill and do a half an hour, just not too fast,” he said.

Heitman is grateful for the surgery that saved his life and hopes sharing his story will help someone else recognize the symptoms of heart disease and get help before it’s too late.

“It’s critical to get it taken care of as quickly as possible. I was fortunate.”