Four weeks ago, Butler resident Scott Winrader, 53, got a sinus infection and took over-the-counter medications to allay the annoying symptoms so he could continue the job he loves at the Grapevine Center.

But when the symptoms moved to his chest, his annoyance turned to fear.

“It was like there was an elephant on my chest,” said Winrader.

He went to the emergency department at Butler Memorial Hospital, where doctors immediately ordered several tests.

“They told me I have congestive heart failure,” Winrader said. “I was so shocked. I thought I was too young.”

He checked out of the emergency department in the interest of getting a second opinion, but his symptoms sent him back to Butler Memorial, where he was admitted for further testing.

Over four days, doctors assessed his heart, cleared an artery in his right arm, and planned a course of action for Winrader’s immediate future.

He was discharged with prescriptions for seven medications to support his heart and a Zoll LifeVest he must wear unless he is showering.

The LifeVest is a “wearable cardioverter defibrillator,” or WCD, that will detect a heart attack or other issue with Winrader’s weakened heart, he said.

A strap goes around his chest, and he must carry a power pack that also gives readings regarding his heartbeat and other factors.

The power pack is a black device roughly the size of a 9-volt battery with a strap that goes over the shoulder.

An audible alert will notify Winrader of a life-threatening rapid heart rhythm, at which time Winrader would call his cardiologist if possible.

The LifeVest can issue a “treatment,” or shock, to regulate Winrader’s heart rhythm.

Winrader is still stunned that he needs the LifeVest.

“I had trouble breathing, and I thought it was my sinuses,” he said. “It was a slap in the face.”

Winrader said he must wear the device for 90 days until doctors decide whether to surgically implant an internal defibrillator.

Since being discharged from the hospital on May 4, Winrader has followed his doctor’s advice to avoid lifting, take it easy and only perform light duty at the Grapevine Center, where he is only able to work 8 to 10 hours per week as opposed to his normal 40 to 50.

“It was absolutely unexpected,” Wendy Cummings, Winrader’s partner of 17 years, said of his diagnosis. “He needs to take it easy because he wants to go, go, go and work, work, work.”

Like many, Cummings never knew an apparatus like the LifeVest existed before Winrader received one.

“It’s scary,” she said. “Very scary. Devastating, actually.”

She said she reminds Winrader to take his pills, cooks him healthy foods and helps him put on the LifeVest if needed.

“Whatever I can do to help, I’m here,” Cummings said.

Winrader has cut down to six cigarettes per day and plans to get in shape at the YMCA when he receives clearance to do so from his doctors.

“You gotta shape up or you’ll ship out,” he said.

In addition to Cummings, Winrader has two stepchildren he has helped Cummings raise and whom he cherishes.

“I’m taking it one day at a time, and I hope I can get better,” he said. “God is right behind me, pushing me.”

Winrader wants people to know that although lifesaving gadgets, surgery and treatments exist to save lives, everyone should go to the doctor when they don’t feel right.

“If I can help one person, all this will be worth it,” he said.

Winrader cannot say enough about the Butler Memorial Hospital cardiology department and its staff.

“(The hospital’s medical staff) is excellent,” he said. “I credit the doctors, nurses, medicine and this device (with saving my life.)”

Dr. Angel Flores, medical director of noninvasive cardiology at Independence Health System’s Butler Memorial & Clarion hospitals, explained the external defibrillator is used primarily on patients with newly discovered heart failure who have an ejection fraction rate — or the heart’s ability to pump blood — of 35% or lower.

Flores said when a low ejection fraction rate is discovered, the patient is at a higher risk of sudden cardiac death. The external defibrillator can shock the heart if necessary to prevent that outcome, he said.

He said the external defibrillators are given to new heart failure patients to wear for about three months, while the patient takes medications prescribed by their cardiologist.

Flores said an echocardiogram is administered to check the patient’s heart and its pumping capacity to determine whether the external defibrillator can be discontinued or an internal defibrillator must be surgically implanted.

“I personally will repeat the echocardiogram before the 90-day period if the patient shows significant improvement in symptoms and a significant response to therapy,” Flores said.

If the heart has greatly improved, he will discontinue the external device.

If, after 90 days, little or no improvement is evident, the patient may receive an internal defibrillator.

Flores said before the external defibrillators began being used about 20 years ago, many patients with a new diagnosis of heart failure suffered cardiac arrest.

“They do work, and we have a fairly long history of patients who have been saved by the device,” he said.

Winrader hopes everyone will pay attention to their bodies and see a doctor if they experience any symptoms of heart issues.

“It’s that time of year when people are getting out and doing a little bit too much,” he said.