萝莉社

Jacksonville native Sam Newby served on the City Council from 2015 to 2023, representing At-Large - Group 5, which covers portions of Northwest Jacksonville and the Westside. During his time in public service, he supported initiatives to improve community health and wellness, such as addressing food disparities, nutrition education and improving park and community centers. Newby also served as chair of the Johnson Family YMCA, where he coached intramural sports.

So it came as quite a shock to his family and colleagues when he returned to counsel chambers in January and lost consciousness as the result of a cardiac event, especially given his long-standing commitment to community health and personal physical fitness and the fact that he did not have a family history of heart disease.

鈥淚t was very strange,鈥� Newby said. 鈥淓ven though I鈥檓 62, I worked out four days a week and played golf one day a week. I鈥檓 very active and have no blockages in my heart.鈥�

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

To the average person, what Newby experienced might be called a 鈥渉eart attack,鈥� but his cardiac event was quite different. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, typically due to narrowed arteries caused by plaque buildup.

In Newby鈥檚 case, his arteries were open, and the walls were smooth. His heart simply stopped beating. This type of condition is referred to as cardiac arrest and affects approximately 350,000 Americans each year. Although the number of Americans who experience cardiac arrest is relatively small, the outcome for those patients tends to be grim, with 90% dying.

Like many heart conditions, when a person succumbs to cardiac arrest, there is no time to wait for medical professionals to arrive 鈥� every second counts. The brain begins to suffer irreversible damage within minutes as it is deprived of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Without immediate action, brain function can decline rapidly, and death is almost certain. What makes cardiac arrest so deadly isn鈥檛 just the sudden loss of heart function, but the fact that bystanders often don鈥檛 recognize what鈥檚 happening or are unsure how to respond, which is what happened to Newby last winter.

Although several people in the chamber quickly called 911, no one began CPR to maintain oxygen-rich blood flow to Newby鈥檚 brain and vital organs. His brain was deprived of oxygen for over eight minutes before paramedics arrived to administer lifesaving care and transport him to 萝莉社 Jacksonville.

Emergency Treatment

Once downtown, emergency medicine specialists were able to restart Newby鈥檚 heart and stabilize him in the ICU. He was placed in the care of Aditya Saini, MD, a clinical care electrophysiologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders, also known as arrhythmias. Saini is an expert in the heart鈥檚 electrical system and uses specialized tests, procedures and devices to manage these conditions.

Because the cause of cardiac arrest is usually sudden and unexplained, Saini decided to place a defibrillator in Newby鈥檚 chest. A defibrillator is a device used by electrophysiologists to monitor the heart鈥檚 rhythm and automatically react 鈥� by delivering an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.

鈥淲hen I implanted the defibrillator, I was able to provide him protection from future events of sudden cardiac arrest,鈥� Saini said. 鈥淐onsider it like an airbag in the car, which protects the driver from dying or getting severely injured from future accidents.鈥�

A defibrillator is often the lifesaving protection that survivors of sudden cardiac arrest need. Mr. Newby went a long time without oxygen to his brain, which most often causes long-term damage. He could have lost his ability to speak and walk. He could have even suffered from memory loss, vision problems and personality changes, and even been incapacitated for the rest of his life.

鈥淥nly about 10% of cardiac arrest patients survive, and even fewer are not disabled in some way, but when he woke up, Mr. Newby was OK, and that is nothing short of a miracle,鈥� Saini said.

Recovering from Cardiac Arrest

For the next few days, Newby remained at 萝莉社 Jacksonville so cardiology providers could monitor his new defibrillator and run cognitive and diagnostic tests. Once it was determined that he did not display any short- or long-term deficits, he was discharged and returned home to continue to rest and recover. Since then, Newby has made subtle changes in his daily life.

鈥淎side from praying more,鈥� Newby said, 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to eat healthier and get more rest. I鈥檓 lucky that I own my own company and have a great staff that has really stepped up. Right now, I鈥檓 working about two to three hours a day and won鈥檛 start playing golf again until the end of the summer.鈥�

According to Saini, most patients who experience cardiac arrest do not survive, and the ones who do usually suffer from long-term issues. In Newby鈥檚 case, he has not experienced any side effects, a circumstance that Saini attributes to his younger age and lifelong commitment to healthy habits, as well as regular physical fitness.

鈥淢r. Newby鈥檚 lifestyle made a difference in his positive outcome,鈥� Saini said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 important to understand that although it鈥檚 rare, anybody can suffer from cardiac arrest at any time. Mr. Newby was very lucky, but the consequences are usually tragic. That doesn鈥檛 mean it has to be.鈥�

Saini stressed the importance of everyone knowing and using CPR to help others experiencing cardiac arrest.

鈥淪tudies show that CPR can double or even triple the likelihood of survival. Those are amazing numbers. The more people who learn it, the more lives we can save," Saini said.