St. Mary Medical Center

By George Fanslau’s estimate, his legs have carried him the equivalent of four trips around the globe—running, jogging, and powerwalking—thanks to a hobby he has pursued for more than 65 years. Now, at age 80, he’s working on his fifth. And he has the cardiology team at St. Mary Medical Center to thank for it. Fanslau, a Richboro resident, now drives a school bus after retiring from a career in the computer industry. He’s also a longtime regular at Tyler Park in Bucks County, where he exercises on the trails almost every day. Several years ago, he began experiencing brief episodes of chest discomfort every few weeks, sometimes at the start of his jogs and other times while sitting at his computer. His primary care physician advised him to see a specialist. Fanslau immediately thought of Frank Ammaturo, M.D., a clinical cardiologist with Cardiology Langhorne at St. Mary Medical Center, because his wife had previously received excellent care from Dr. Ammaturo. Fanslau was brought in right away for a stress test, which required him to run at different speeds and incline levels on a treadmill. The results showed some abnormalities, so Dr. Ammaturo referred him to one of his partners for a cardiac catheterization. That procedure confirmed three severe blockages, and Fanslau underwent bypass surgery with Todd Nixon, M.D., a few days later. “Everything went well,” Fanslau says of his experience in December 2022. “The surgery was on a Friday, and I was home on Tuesday, walking around and going up steps. I started walking around the block, and within six weeks I was back driving a bus and walking at Tyler Park, before slowly getting back to powerwalking and jogging. Within two months, it was like nothing had ever happened. “I made a real quick recovery,” he continues. “I’m grate