“I just passed out”: One patient’s journey with difficult blood pressure issues

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TriHealth patient Drew Abbott felt his blood pressure rising when he was closing a high-stress business deal. When he put on the blood pressure cuff at home that evening, he knew he had a serious issue: his blood pressure measured over 200. 

“My PCP made some changes to my medication, but this did not seem to fix the problem,” Abbott says in the latest episode of Getting Health Care Right podcast. Abbott continued to experience blood pressure fluctuations and undesirable side effects from the medication, including syncope (fainting). “I could tell it was coming, but I couldn’t prevent it, and I just passed out,” Abbott says. 

An eventual referral to Dr. Stephen Lewis, a TriHealth interventional cardiologist and specialist in difficult blood pressure issues, helped Abbott finally get his hypertension numbers under control. 

“I became concerned about hypertension pretty early in my career, as I witnessed a lot of patients suffering from very difficult-to-control hypertension,” says Lewis. “This resulted in further interest in finding out more root causes.” 

Listen to this special Heart Month episode of Getting Health Care right to hear more about: 

• Abbott’s biggest challenges when it came to treating his high blood pressure. 
• A dramatic incident in the Good Samaritan Hospital dining room.
• Incidence of high blood pressure in U.S. adults — and its potential consequences.
• TriHealth’s new hypertension clinic. 
• Dr. Lewis’ advice for people concerned about their heart health. 

TriHealth’s Heart and Vascular Institute focuses on personalized care. Learn more.