Take me to EIRMC: What happened when this man had a heart attack in the snowy backcountry

Records broke when 35 inches of new snow blanketed the Wyoming ground in March 2023. Dave Brown took advantage of the incredible powder by skiing the slopes at Grand Targhee Resort. Then, a couple days later, he and a buddy strapped their skis to their backs and hiked into Mail Cabin Creek, a drainage area in the Grand Tetons.

“When you’re backcountry skiing, there’s no crowd – it’s beautiful and it’s quiet. Of course, it’s also more work because you’re skinning up a mountain,” Dave said.

Dave’s body was conditioned for the climb. He and his buddies had skinned up Mail Cabin Creek more than 30 times before; but this time, something felt amiss.

Taking steps to emergency care

“We were about 2 miles in, in a steeper area called Moose Brush, when I started to get out of breath. That happens sometimes, but this was different. I couldn’t catch my breath and I had to stop,” Dave said. “As I was standing there, I noticed tightness in my arm, chest and jaw; and I knew these were classic signs of a heart attack.”

This was not an ideal place to have a heart attack. Dave and his buddy didn’t have cell phone reception, and their other ski partner who has a satellite phone didn’t come with them that day. After assessing the situation and taking an aspirin from his first aid kit, Dave and his buddy started trekking out of the area, but it was slow moving. Every 30 to 40 yards, Dave stopped to huff and puff. He was losing strength.

To get care faster, Dave bundled up in more layers of clothing and remained on the mountain while his ski partner booked it toward the parking lot to call for help. Soon, volunteers from Teton County Search and Rescue arrived on the scene via helicopter.

Remote locations require lifesaving coordination

“One of the Search and Rescue volunteers was a doctor, and another was an emergency room nurse. They quickly evaluated me, got oxygen on me, and placed an AED (automated external defibrillator) on me just in case they needed it. Then they put me on a rope and flew me to the parking lot where an ambulance was waiting,” Dave said. “Everything was synchronized! The sheriff’s department had even blocked the highway so the ambulance could have a direct path to the hospital in Jackson!”

An electrocardiogram in the ambulance confirmed Dave was having a heart attack, and the emergency room team at St. John’s Hospital provided him with clot-busting medication.

“While all this was happening, they were also in contact with EIRMC, who sent a helicopter over for me. Jackson doesn’t have a cath lab, and being a regional center, ERIMC is definitely the place where I needed to go; and I had no question that it was also where I wanted to go,” Dave said.

EIRMC: The most advanced cardiac care nearby

After a smooth 45-min air ambulance ride, Dave landed at EIRMC for another round of lifesaving, coordinated care.

“When I arrived, they were ready for me! My wife was at the helipad waiting, and within a couple minutes I was taken from the ER right into the cath lab. There, they hooked me up and saw my right coronary artery was 100 percent blocked,” Dave said.

Once Dave arrived in the cath lab, a skilled cardiologist carefully placed a stent in the blocked artery, restoring proper blood flow to the heart. Dave then spent two nights at EIRMC, being monitored on the cardiac floor.

“The nursing care was exceptional, and the cardiac team was on top of everything … Because of the quality of care there, if I ever need medical care like this again, there’s no question that EIRMC would be my first choice,” Dave said.

Returning to the slopes

Soon after his release from the hospital, Dave participated in EIRMC’s cardiac rehab program. There, Dave eased back into exercise. Under the supervision of healthcare professionals, and while wearing heart monitors, he exercised at mild and moderate levels.

“I probably felt better than I should have,” Dave said. “It would have been easy to overdo things, but the docs and cardiac rehab group stressed that my heart had experienced trauma and needed time to heal. That was an important theme through this experience.”

With that theme in mind, Dave says he’ll pace himself and apply lessons learned from his heart attack as he returns to the slopes.

“I’m feeling great and I’m ready to go, but I’ll be taking it slow and easy in the back country,” Dave said. “Plus, I have my own satellite phone now. I know the importance of being prepared for an emergency and the value of friends you can depend on.”

Dave also gained a deeper appreciation for the army of medical volunteers and professionals who worked diligently to provide him with timely, quality care.

“Everything that needed to go right went right,” Dave said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”