Dennis Blackburn: Irvine Golfer Plays to Win

When Dennis Blackburn hit the greens on a crisp winter morning last February, the 59-year-old Irvine resident could not foresee what would stymie his game. What began as a traditional golf tournament alongside friends quickly deteriorated into a major medical emergency.

Following a shotgun start at the fourth hole, Blackburn recalls feeling "funny." But with no history of heart disease, it took another six holes for him to recognize the symptoms: light headedness, clamminess, shortness of breath. He was having a heart attack.

"I believe I arrived at Hoag's Emergency Room at about 2:20 p.m.," recalls Blackburn, CEO of Tustin-based Foster Printing Company. "By 2:55 p.m., I was in the catheterization lab; and by 13 minutes after three, the elephants had walked off my chest and I felt wonderful."

Hoag's clinical staff practices according to evidence-based guidelines that validate the less time it takes to get patients into the Cardiac Catheterization Lab for treatment, the higher the likelihood of a positive long-term outcome. Hoag averages just 49 minutes to restore blood flow - via coronary stent placement - to a patient's heart muscle, while the current national standard is 120 minutes.

Blackburn's cardiologist, Desmond Levin, M.D., believes quick symptom recognition and treatment cannot be underestimated.

"Early recognition, diagnosis and intervention save lives," says Dr. Levin.

Not long after suffering his heart attack, Blackburn was on the golf course again. This time, going for nine holes with his short iron and putter. A month later, in March, he participated in the Toshiba Senior Classic Pro-Am, a tournament benefiting Hoag and other Orange County charities. Foster Printing Company is a Toshiba Senior Classic sponsor.

Today, Blackburn feels great. He continues to golf and looks forward to next year's Toshiba Senior Classic. Blackburn has participated in the tournament since 2001.

"A few years ago, I might have needed bypass surgery," he says, "But it's amazing how far the technology has come and how wonderful it is."