Cardiac psychologists are pushing to protect heart patients’ often-overlooked mental health
Margery Quackenbush was attending a board meeting of the nonprofit where she served as executive director when she felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest. As the organization’s president yelled at a board member, Quackenbush — then age 69 — noticed her heart tightening and felt terrified.
After that day more than 15 years ago, her cardiologist began a series of tests. The results showed a blocked artery and she got a stent put in, becoming one of more than 600,000 people in the United States who have a stent placed each year, according to the American Heart Association.
