“The outcome was beautiful”
When a heart transplant wasn't an option, NBI's cardiac experts implanted a pump—and gave a patient her life back.
Though she was only 58, Denise Robinson, a resident of Jersey City, had known for years that her heart was in bad shape. Medicines and a pacemaker for congestive heart failure had become less and less effective over time. Doctors had told her she needed a heart transplant, but due to other health conditions, she was not eligible.
Her illness made life difficult. In one year, she recalls, she spent long stretches of time in the hospital—”including every single holiday,” she says. Congestive heart failure is a weakness in the heart that affects how blood is pumped around the body, and often results in a buildup of fluid around the lungs. The result was shortness of breath, dizziness and fatigue that greatly affected Denise’s life.
In February of 2017, she was admitted to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI). There, she learned that her heart was in such bad shape that going home was not an option. But cardiac experts at NBI were able to offer her a treatment option, one that has changed her life: insertion of a mechanical pump, known as an LVAD (for left ventricular assist device) directly into her heart. Fittingly, she got the news on Valentine’s Day.
“In the eight months before that hospital stay, I couldn’t do anything,” Denise says. “My son, daughter and granddaughter were an overwhelming help. They kept me on track. So when they told me about the device, my family and I researched it. I decided I wanted to do it. I wanted this chance to get better, for me and for my family.”
Advanced Treatment
As a leading heart and lung transplant center, NBI is at the forefront when it comes to offering patients advanced treatments for heart failure and other cardiac issues. The Advanced Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant team is one of only a dozen centers in the nation that has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants and is ranked among the top 15 programs in the country. The medical center conducts clinical trials, or research studies, which bring patients the latest treatments even before they are available to the public. It was Denise’s good fortune that the medical center was participating in a large, ongoing trial of the newest LVAD, the Abbott HeartMate 3. Margarita Camacho, MD, Surgical Director of NBI’s Cardiac Transplantation Program, who has two decades of professional experience with earlier versions of LVADs, knew that Denise’s case was a fit for the device.
When the pump was in place, every organ of Denise’s body would receive more blood and oxygen than before, and this would improve the body’s ability to heal. Breathing would be easier, and she would have more energy and stamina. “With a nationwide shortage of hearts for transplant, LVADs can both save lives and give patients a high quality of life,” says Dr. Camacho.
Denise would also have a robust team on her case. For its LVAD program, NBI has two dedicated surgeons and eight dedicated cardiologists including two fellows (board-eligible cardiologists seeking advanced training), plus three nurse coordinators.
A Pump Implanted
On March 6, 2017, during an open-heart procedure, Dr. Camacho implanted the LVAD, which is about the size of a small fist, just below Denise’s heart. During recovery after surgery, Denise’s family continued their strong support, though her children had different ways of helping her, she says with a laugh.
“My daughter babied me,” she recalls. “But my son encouraged me every day with ‘You can do it!’ And if I needed something, he said I should get it
myself!” she says. “He knew I was able to do things, and it helped me recover more quickly.” Her granddaughter, now 10, even learned to help with the LVAD controls.
The clinical trial of the HeartMate 3 continued for months after Denise’s LVAD surgery, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device in October of 2018. By that time, Denise had more energy than she’d had in a long time and was well on her way to resuming a much more active life with her family.
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t even consider taking a trip any where,” she says. “I never knew when I would get sick.” Today, she has completed a long-awaited visit with family in South Carolina. At Easter time, she hit the road again, heading north with six relatives to explore Montreal for five days. In addition, the week before Valentine’s Day this year—two years after the implant and inspired by the care she received at NBI—she energetically led a heart health education program, Rock the Red, for 50 people in her community. She asked her team at NBI to bring samples of all the pieces of the LVAD that were keeping her alive, so participants could see the miraculous care available right in their community.
In between all these activities, she continues to rely on her team at NBI as well as her family. “I appreciate all the support I got from everyone,” she says. “The outcome was beautiful.”
Be Heart Smart
Your heart doesn’t beat just for you. Get it checked. Schedule an appointment with a cardiac specialist at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center or call: 888.724.7123.