Hi I'm dr. Bart Bonazinga. I'm one of the cardiologists here at Rutland Regional Medical
Center. When I was very young I wanted to become a doctor because I was very interested in biology
and science. I found it fascinating and later on I found out working with people would be very
rewarding. From my earliest interest in science and biology, the heart fascinated me and the way
it would beat all by itself and I always wanted me a cardiologist. Even when I was first in college,
took biology and all kinds of different biology courses; and when I went into medicine,
it surprised me that everybody didn't want to become a cardiologist because of the way the heart
was so fascinating to work with. This may sound offbeat but as patients live longer and longer,
they need more and more cardiologists. So I see the cardiology field just getting better and
better and more rewarding and more rewarding. As an example, 25 years ago we would have a code 99
every day where somebody's heart would stop and have be started. And we would have one massive
heart attack a week where the patient probably wasn't going to make it; and now if that happens
once every six months, it's a surprise. That's how good cardiology carries including Rutland.
When I first arrived here in Rutland, there were no other cardiologists. There was nobody to take
care of heart attacks very well. There was nobody to put in pacemakers or special procedures on the
heart. There was nobody to look inside the heart with echocardiograms. About my third night here in
Rutland, a patient came in with a heart attack; and when I saw him, he was deathly ill with a
heart attack. It was quite obvious, and we really couldn't move him anywhere and his heart kept
stopping. So naturally we took him down to the Radiology Department to put a pacemaker in. And
every time after I put a tube into his heart with a pacemaker on it, his heart kept stopping. And
every time I got the pacemaker into place where it would fire and take over his heart and keep him
alive, he would then go into a life-threatening fast heartbeat. And every time I pulled it back,
the patient's heart would stop. And every time I put it back where it was supposed to be,
it would start up again. And that went on for about an hour. And he is still alive today at
the age of 86, which that day he was 50. And he actually still has his pacemaker that's working
fine. I really enjoy being on the radio every two weeks with Tim Philbin discussing all types
of medical issues, including cardiology, because I get to look up all kinds of stuff on the internet,
learn a lot of stuff and then discuss it with a good host who's entertaining in his own way. So
I really enjoy doing the Dr. Bart The Heart Show, and it's a great learning experience.
I feel that I am an ambassador for the Rutland Regional Medical Center and the Rutland Heart
Center. Everybody I run into is a patient or has a family member who is a patient,
and I treat everybody like family because that's the only way to be compassionate and
do it right and always cover all the important medical issues that need to be done. The things
that float my boat when I'm not working is my incredible list of hobbies. I make furniture.
I carve decoys. I go hunting, fishing, build boats, build turkey blinds, fish, tie flies,
go fly-fishing, hike, train dogs, raise dogs. So I'm very busy. Rutland was fabulous when we
got here. It was a great place to raise kids. I could drive six minutes and be in the country or
in the woods. And if three cars in front of you were stopped at a stoplight and it turns green,
nobody beeped – at least not then, now they do. But the people are great; and as I've
gotten older and getting closer to retirement I think I will stay. And I would do it again.