Christine Bornhorst still expects that the sudden, dizzying moment when her heart starts racing and her breath becomes short. But those moments are in the past. Bornhorst’s heart has been beating normally, consistently, since she underwent a catheter ablation at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital’s electrophysiology (EP) laboratory in April. And the 44-year-old single mom from Bolingbrook is relieved.
“Finally, my heart is beating normally and I don’t have to worry about rushing to the emergency room,” Bornhorst. “It’s hard to believe I’m finally better.”
Five or six times a year for 2½ years she had experienced those episodes, the worst of which lasted 40 minutes and caused her heart to beat in the range of 250 beats per minute. Bornhorst, a critical care unit nurse at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, was thankful to be working at that time.
“I was in the hospital when the last episode happened, so my co-workers were able to bring me to the emergency room, thank goodness,” Bornhorst said. “What if I would have been alone in the car, stuck in traffic? That scares me.”
Electrophysiologist Dr. Andrew Lawrence performed the ablation, a procedure in which a thin, flexible tube is inserted into the heart to deliver energy to tiny areas of the heart that cause the abnormal rhythm. The 2-hour procedure brought a permanent end to Bornhorst’s heart rate issues.
“My life is totally different now,” Bornhorst said.