Ed Plumley, center, is flanked Marlborough Hospital physicians, Eric Nelson, MD, left, and Paul Pongor, MD.

Ed Plumley is the first person to tell you he did not like hospitals. "To be honest, I hated them," admitted the 59-year-old exercise buff. It took an ice storm, an orthopedic surgery, a quadruple heart bypass, and the resources of the UMass Memorial Health Care system to change Mr. Plumley's mind.

Mr. Plumley's story began when he injured his shoulder clearing wood after the December 2008 ice storm last year. His shoulder damage was expertly repaired by Paul Pongor, MD, a Marlborough Hospital surgeon and a partner at Marlborough Orthopaedic Associates. While his shoulder surgery was a great success, the presurgery workup with Anil Vyas, MD, a Marlborough Hospital anesthesiologist, brought something to light: Mr. Plumley's heart was larger than most healthy people's hearts.

An enlarged heart could have been a result of his intensive exercise routine, or it could be a sign of heart disease. While it was agreed that his potential heart condition would not rule out the much-needed shoulder surgery, Dr. Vyas referred Mr. Plumley to Eric Nelson, MD, in Marlborough Hospital's Cardiology Department.

"We found that Mr. Plumley's heart function was less than normal," explained Dr. Nelson, a member of the UMass Memorial Medical Group. "This was a surprise because Mr. Plumley's heart wasn't bothering him at all, even during exercise. Thankfully, our team of doctors paid attention to that one sign of an enlarged heart and suggested follow-up care."

The next step for Dr. Nelson was to refer Mr. Plumley to Stanley Tam, MD, chief of cardiac surgery at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. UMass Memorial Medical Center provides the region's most complete cardiac services, featuring a nationally recognized Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence that brings together expert cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, technology and advances in medicine.

 "We have a very carefully thought-out process for cases like Mr. Plumley's. That's part of why patients do so well here," said Dr. Tam. "We have real coordination among team members so patients can move seamlessly through treatment and rehabilitation." For the second time in a year, Mr. Plumley had surgery, again with a very successful result. These days, Mr. Plumley is back at the gym seven days a week, and says he is thankful that UMass Memorial Health Care - both locally at Marlborough Hospital and at the region's academic medical center in Worcester - was there for all his medical needs.