A Rare Diagnosis, A Rapid Response

Marlene's Story

You saved my wife’s life. It’s that simple. I’ve been in lots of ERs over my career as a physician, but the Mammoth Hospital team moved with blistering speed. As a retired OB/GYN, I know exceptional care when I see it.

-Alan Fisher, MD

On February 3, 2024, Marlene Fisher was in Mammoth Lakes skiing with her daughter. The women took a few runs and Marlene headed back to her condominium to take a shower before dinner with her family. She emerged exhausted, her lips turning blue, says Marlene’s husband Alan, who was a practicing doctor for over 40 years. Once Marlene began having difficulty breathing, “we got her to the Mammoth Hospital Emergency Room within three minutes,” says Alan. “There, we were met with a flurry of knowledgeable nurses, aides, physicians and lab personnel.”

A CT scan revealed to radiologist Yuri Parisky, M.D. that Marlene had Takotsubo syndrome—a rare but serious condition in which a part of the heart enlarges and blood backs into the lungs. Marlene was airlifted to Renown’s cardiac ICU, where she was treated and recovered.

“You saved my wife’s life,” says Alan. “It’s that simple. I’ve been in lots of ERs over my career as a physician, but the Mammoth Hospital team moved with blistering speed. As a retired OB/GYN, I know exceptional care when I see it.”

“This is why it’s important to have a CT functioning all the time,” says Dr. Craig Burrows, Hospitalist. “Without it, we are like a fish out of water.”