OR nurse goes from caregiver to critical patient

For nearly 14 years, Bill Kinsler has cared for patients as an OR nurse at AdventHealth Littleton. But on Christmas Day, after completing most of a 12-hour shift, Bill became the patient.

“I just didn’t feel right,” Bill recalled. “I said, ‘I think I need to go to the ED.’ I don’t remember much after that at all.”

What followed was a life-threatening chain of events. Bill had a heart attack and went into cardiogenic shock. When conventional treatments weren’t enough, the care team made the decision to put him on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation).

ECMO is not a first-line treatment. It provides the highest level of life support for cardiac or respiratory conditions and is reserved for the most severe cases.

Alexandra Smart, MD, is a pulmonary and critical care physician with CCPSA (Critical Care, Pulmonary, and Sleep Associates). She has been the ECMO Medical Director since the program was first established at AdventHealth Porter in 2017. The program moved to AdventHealth Littleton in 2025.

“These are the sickest patients in critical care,” says Dr. Smart. “It really takes a big team of people and a lot of coordinated multidisciplinary care to give them the best chance of making it through.”

Even with ECMO, survival is not guaranteed.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the people who are sick enough to need ECMO still don’t survive,” said Dr. Smart.

That reality makes Bill’s recovery even more remarkable. After being intubated, and experiencing severe swelling, weakness, and complications with swallowing, Bill woke up.

“They told me I had been intubated for a week. I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I couldn’t believe it,” said Bill.

Bill is recovering steadily through cardiac rehab at South Denver Cardiology and is slowly regaining his strength. Nearly three months after his hospitalization, he’s already looking ahead to returning to the OR and reconnecting with his team.

“I can’t wait to be with my coworkers again. We’re really close, and we help each other out a lot.”

For Dr. Smart, Bill’s survival reflects both expert care and something deeper.

“ECMO is really a testament to the whole team,” said Dr. Smart. “From critical care physicians, cardiac surgeons and cardiology, to nurses, respiratory therapists and more, everybody really needs to be collaborating and communicating in order to get the safest and best outcome for patients.”

She also points to Bill himself.

“Part of his success is his amazing, resilient human spirit.”

Bill agrees that the care he received made all the difference.

“On a scale of one to 10, everyone at AdventHealth Littleton was a 10. I’ve never had such good care in my life,” he said. “I’m very happy that AdventHealth has the ECMO program, because if not, I probably wouldn’t be here.”