Patient Stories
Hoag Gives Cardiac Patient a ‘Second Chance at Life’
Abi Basu and his wife traveled to India to perform a religious ritual honoring their deceased parents, but it was his own mortality that faced a terrifying threat. Multiple times on the journey, Abi lost his breath for several minutes. At night he awoke, gasping for air. He blacked out on a train platform. He … Read More
New Wireless Pacemaker Has Patient ‘Going Strong’
Photo: FinisherPix Gina’s heart “paused” twice while she was in the ER with one of the longest atrial fibrillation (Afib) episodes she had ever experienced. It was 2022, and a newly FDA-approved dual chamber leadless (wireless) pacemaker was available through a clinical trial in only a few select sites across the country. Thankfully for Gina, … Read More
World’s First Dual Chamber Leadless Pacemaker Restores Lifelong Athlete’s Drive
Jerry Kelleher knew that one day he’d need a pacemaker. His cardiologists over the years had warned him as much. But what he couldn’t have known was that when the time came, he’d be excited about it. “I was thrilled to be part of the clinical trial at Hoag,” Kelleher, 71, said of the world’s … Read More
Heart to Heart: Father and Son Firefighters Grateful to Hoag’s Cardiac Surgery Team
The nurse was impressed. Recuperating from robotic mitral valve repair surgery at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute, Kenneth Kamp said a nurse performed a bedside echocardiogram on him and commended the repair. No sign of leakage. Something you’d expect in a valve replacement surgery but remarkable in a repair. Incredible job. “I … Read More
Bypass Patient Grateful for His Winning Team
Dan Ryan is a competitive person with an abiding appreciation for sports. So, when he refers to Anthony Caffarelli, M.D., as the “Tom Brady” of heart surgeons, the analogy commands attention. “It is pretty cool that you’re excited that the guy is going to give you a quintuple bypass,” said Dan, 59, who recently underwent … Read More
Cardiac Patient Grateful for Hoag Staff’s ‘Heart’
Robert Fulkerson had worked in health care for more than 30 years, so, as he puts it, “I know good health care instantly, when I see it.” He also knows good nurses, good hospitals and good medical teams. But nothing he has seen in three decades of working as a scrub nurse and an orthopedic … Read More
A Marfan Syndrome Patient Finds Confidence, Gratitude at Hoag
Christian D’Angelo has Marfan syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the body’s connective tissue. Because connective tissue holds cells, organs and tissue together throughout the entire body, Marfan syndrome can cause serious complications involving the aorta and heart. Marfan syndrome has always played a huge role in Christian’s life. He was only 6-years-old when his … Read More
Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement Patient ‘Good as New’
For several years, Mike Barnes was told by internist William Fukuda, M.D. that he had a heart murmur that might later require intervention. Under the advice of Dr. Fukuda, Barnes sought expert input from cardiologist Carey O’Bryan, M.D. to help monitor his heart health. Dr. O’Bryan told him that he had a failing aortic valve … Read More
Robert Blayden Calls TAVR 'A Gift'
When Robert Blayden thinks about the circumstances of his valve replacement surgery – the timing, the hospital, the physicians – it’s as though the stars aligned. “I think about it every once in a while,” said Robert, 82. “What a gift I received.” Robert was part of a clinical trial at Hoag last year to … Read More
After 10 Years, David Feels His TAVR Procedure Was a Lucky Break
Some might question why David Smith considers himself lucky. A Vietnam vet who had been exposed to the carcinogen Agent Orange, David battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma with treatments that likely exacerbated his hereditary heart condition. A diagnosis of hemolytic anemia a few years later ensured that, should he ever need major surgery, the results could be … Read More