All in the Family: How the Khans Found Hope and Gratitude in Their Most Trying Moment When Dr. A. Hafeez Khan had a life-threatening health incident, Ochsner and his children were standing by to help—and then pay it forward By Anne Paglia | Photos: Daymon Gardner
August 18, 2021, started the same as any other day for A. Hafeez Khan, MD. He woke up, saw patients via telepsychiatry and spent time with his grandchildren and daughter, who had stopped by for a visit. But soon Dr. A. Hafeez Khan felt fatigued, a frequent occurrence since undergoing knee surgery. Attempting to fight the feeling, he climbed on his exercise bike and began pedaling. That’s when the chest pains started. Upon entering Dr. A. Hafeez Khan’s room, Rubina Khan, MD, Dr. A. Hafeez Khan’s daughter, heard him complain of chest pains. He clutched his chest and slumped over, before becoming unresponsive and losing a pulse. Recognizing the signs of cardiac arrest, Dr. Rubina Khan, an Ochsner-trained physician, performed CPR on her father and resuscitated him. “He had regained a pulse by the time EMS came to transport him to Ochsner’s main campus,” said Abdul M. Khan, MD, Dr. A. Hafeez Khan’s son. “He went from someone who was healthy and going to work to a patient in the intensive care unit, the same intensive care unit that I work in.” When Dr. A. Hafeez Khan arrived at the hospital, the cardiology team and his son were waiting for him. The cardiology team determined he was having a severe heart attack and rushed him to the catheterization lab for an angiogram.
Dr. A. Hafeez Khan on the care he received at Ochsner: “It was exemplary. I’m thankful to all the staff for their services.”
Dr. Abdul M. Khan on his family’s deep ties to Ochsner: “I love the care that Ochsner provides and feel strongly that it’s the best care in Louisiana.”
They inserted several stents and a left ventricular assist device before moving him to the intensive care unit. “It was actually during the [COVID-19] Delta surge,” Dr. Abdul M. Khan said. “There were days when I worked in the hospital and would go up to the ICU at night and see my dad. It was a really scary time.” As Dr. A. Hafeez Khan was recovering thanks to diligent care from the Ochsner team, another crisis hit the family—this time quite literally. During his stay in the hospital, Hurricane Ida tore through
Louisiana, wrecking thousands of homes, including the home he shares with his wife, Shaheen Khan. “My mom was going home and cleaning up the house while my dad was in the intensive care unit,” Dr. Abdul M. Khan said. “For a few days after the hurricane, he didn’t even know his house was destroyed.” The Khan family remained grateful throughout this challenging time. After two weeks in the intensive care unit and a few days on the hospital floor, (continued on page 10) o c h s n e r. o rg
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