ARLINGTON, Texas- As a general manager and young father, Dalton Lovell was accustomed to a busy schedule. Taking a break to watch his wife and daughter practice martial arts at a nearby gym put him in the right place at the right time. He received immediate CPR after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, which happens when the heart beats irregularly and doesn't produce proper blood flow to vital organs.

Gym owners and members took turns performing CPR for 10 minutes until paramedics responded to the 911 call. Lovell was transported via ambulance to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, where high-quality emergency catheterization treatment began in less than 45 minutes.

Nearly 350,000 people a year experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the U.S. and just 10% of those patients survive, according to the American Heart Association.

Saving lives outside hospital walls

Lisa Britt, M.S.N., R.N., CEN, NEA-BC, serves on the gym's board of directors and was among the bystanders who performed CPR. "I was able to bridge the gap between the emergency scene at the gym and the awaiting care team at Texas Health Arlington Memorial," said Britt, director of the hospital's Emergency Department (ED).

"It was a massive team effort. Starting with people performing CPR, to individuals huddled together praying at the gym, that seamless collaboration and communication played a major part in Mr. Lovell's positive outcome."

Britt made immediate calls to the ED, putting key care team members into motion. Drew Weiner, M.D., who serves as the hospital's ED medical director, alerted the cardiac catheterization lab and Aref Obagi, M.D., an interventional cardiologist on the medical staff at Texas Health Arlington Memorial and the hospital's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory medical director.

Several years ago, Lovell was diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome." The stress-related heart condition sometimes develops into life-threatening events, such as congestive heart failure, stroke and cardiac arrest. And men are twice as likely to die from broken heart syndrome as women.

Lovell's care team recommended an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) to protect him from a potential cardiac event in the future.

"If he suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, the ICD will immediately detect it, deliver a shock to his heart and put it back in rhythm," said Obagi, who is also a member of Texas Health Physicians Group*. "Most importantly, it will keep him alive."

Receiving care at Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington** and Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Lovell returned home after eight days.

Offering continued support and high-quality care

The Lovells said they are using their experience to share hope with others.

"His heart just failed him that day," said Dalton's wife, Becca Lovell. "Thankfully, he received immediate CPR and compassionate care at Texas Health Arlington Memorial."

Lovell doesn't remember much about his medical crisis, but the 35-year-old father said he is grateful for the support he and his family have received.

"From those at the gym to my care team at the hospital, it was all for our good and God's glory," Lovell said. "Even grim circumstances can have a positive outcome through prayer and the skillful hands of others."

*Providers employed by Texas Health Physicians Group are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.

**Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital is a joint venture between Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and investor-owner cardiologists on the medical staff. © 2026 Texas Health Resources