{"id":9605,"date":"2020-06-06T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=9605"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:22:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:22:30","slug":"she-needed-a-heart-expert-fast-she-came-to-the-right-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/she-needed-a-heart-expert-fast-she-came-to-the-right-place\/","title":{"rendered":"She needed a heart expert fast. She came to the right place."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Expert heart care without the wait<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kimberly Key was scheduled for a hysterectomy<\/a> at OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center<\/a> in the last week of December 2019. However, a preoperative electrocardiogram<\/a> (EKG<\/a>) returned an abnormal result that threatened to delay the surgery. The surgery couldn\u2019t proceed without clearance from a cardiologist.<\/p>\n

Kimberly, who lives in Brocton, Illinois, was scared not only of having to delay her surgery and\u00a0 changing locations for the procedure, she was also concerned about what the EKG result could mean for her health. At 54 years old, she was already two years older than her father had been when he died from a heart condition.<\/p>\n

Kimberly wanted her surgery performed at OSF Heart of Mary and she wanted to know if she needed to worry about her heart health<\/a>. She needed answers, and she needed them quickly.<\/p>\n

Facing an urgent situation<\/h2>\n

Kimberly, an OSF HealthCare Mission Partner, turned to the OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to see a cardiologist for clearance. The EKG results could\u2019ve been due to an issue with my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to delay my surgery and there could have been something more serious with my heart. My father died at 52 of a heart issue, so I wanted to make sure I hadn\u2019t had a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimberly got in touch with Tammy Walsh, a physician office supervisor for OSF Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana<\/a>. Tammy told Kimberly the OSF cardiologists were full, too, but Tammy would call her back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin minutes Tammy called me back to tell me Dr. Reddy was leaving for vacation but wanted to see me today,\u201d Kimberly said.<\/p>\n

Exceeding expectations<\/h2>\n

Aravind Reddy, MD<\/a>, a cardiologist for OSF Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana, was all set for an overseas vacation, but when he heard about Kimberly\u2019s situation, he quickly agreed to stay late that day.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Aravind Reddy<\/p><\/div>\n

He examined Kimberly, got the test she needed scheduled, and\u00a0 within a few days, everything was done and Kimberly was cleared for surgery, which went off without a hitch on December 27 as scheduled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both amazing,\u201d Kimberly said of Tammy and Dr. Reddy. \u201cThey definitely focus on patient care and want to do what\u2019s best for the patient. He was about to leave the country and he stayed over late just to see me. Tammy is so kind and great to work with. If she doesn\u2019t know an answer to something, she\u2019ll find it and get it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Reddy, however, doesn\u2019t feel like he did anything special. He just did what he felt was right by prioritizing the needs of a patient<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured if we could help, then why not?\u201d Dr. Reddy said. \u201cI could take care of her, so I stayed back a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the practice has expanded its roster of cardiologists since then to help make sure Champaign-Urbana area OSF Cardiovascular Institute locations can provide same-day appointments for asymptomatic patients with urgent needs.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for expert heart care in the Champaign-Urbana area without the long wait times for an appointment, call OSF Cardiovascular Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Kimberly Key needed answers about her heart health before an operation, she turned to the experts at OSF Cardiovascular Institute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":9658,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[105,223],"tags":[19,106,193,655,747],"coauthors":[692],"class_list":["post-9605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardiovascular","category-patient-story","tag-health-risks","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-surgery","tag-osf-cardiovascular-institute","tag-osf-heart-of-mary"],"yoast_head":"\nShe needed a heart expert. 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