Month: December 2023

Two years ago, Hillary Steffen, a mom of three from Turner, OR, experienced a life-altering event that almost killed her. At just 33, after contracting COVID, Hillary awoke with alarming symptoms, leading to a diagnosis of severe congestive heart failure due to COVID-19 myocarditis. This harrowing experience almost led to Hillary requiring a heart transplant but ended with her native heart being recovered due to medical advances. She joined Hannah to tell her remarkable story of recovery.

See the full coverage: Hillary Steffen: Covid Recovery Story

A mom who thought she was experiencing flu symptoms but was really having a heart attack is opening up about her experience, and sharing a warning for other women.

Jenna Tanner, who first shared her story with “Business Insider,” sat down with “Good Morning America” to recount her close call.

“I thought I was coming down with the flu or the upper respiratory infection or something,” Tanner told “GMA.”

At first, Tanner dismissed seeking medical care. “I didn’t want to tell my husband because I knew he would say we have to go straight to the hospital. And I didn’t want to go spend any more time in waiting rooms at the doctor’s office, so I ignored it,” she said.

But ignoring her pain almost cost Tanner her life. After two days, she said, she passed out and when she regained consciousness, she knew instantly she was having a massive heart attack.

“It felt like an elephant sitting on me. I couldn’t move,” Tanner recalled. “I couldn’t move at all. It was very scary.”

Tanner had to undergo three surgeries and receive two stents during her treatment after the heart attack. But a year later, she said she’s doing better, and urged other women to pay attention to their own bodies and not ignore symptoms, like she had done.

See the full coverage: Mom opens up about heart attack she thought was the flu

The start of 2022 brought one illness after another for my family. Between COVID and the flu, I felt like I had been at the doctor’s office constantly for three months.

Finally, in March, the kids were all back to school, so I set about cleaning and disinfecting the house. I started having chest pain that felt like a fleeting pinch. It would last for a few seconds and I’d feel pressure, but when I sat down, it stopped. I figured I was coming down with the flu, and I pushed through, trying to get the house in order before I got really sick.

That lasted for two days. By the third day the pain was persistent enough that I almost mentioned it to my husband. But I knew he would want me to go to the hospital, and I just couldn’t face yet another trip to the doctors. I was so burned out from being in waiting rooms.

Later that day I was vacuuming when I suddenly felt like I had to sit down. I plopped into my husband’s recliner and set my phone on the armrest. When I felt better I got up and walked to my office, two rooms over. When I got there, I knew I was going to faint. My vision went dark and I could hear the blood rushing as loud as the ocean in my ears.

I laid down on the floor and immediately felt like an elephant had landed on my chest. In the seconds before I passed out, I realized I was having a heart attack.

In the hospital, doctors realized I had a complete block of the left main coronary artery, which meant half my heart had no blood flow. Normally, doctors treat this with open heart surgery, but I wasn’t stable enough. Instead doctors used an Impella pump, a device inserted through an artery in my groin, to restart blood flow to my heart. After that, I was stable enough for surgery.

Read the full article: I thought I caught the flu from my kids. I was actually having a massive heart attack.

For years, I felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.

I’m a 41-year-old mother and wife from St. Clair, Michigan, and back in 2021 I was just another patient at the cardiologist presenting with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

I had a previous history of hypertension which was controlled with diet and medication. Once my divorce was finalized and I was able to maintain a healthy diet with regular exercise, my blood pressure returned to a normal range. At that point, I discontinued hypertension medication. I began noticing problems again with my blood pressure after accepting a higher position within the medical office I worked for.

On February 17, the truth came to light—a 90 percent blockage in my left main coronary artery, the infamous “widowmaker.”

I felt a big mix of emotions; relief that I wasn’t crazy, but also fear for what could have been.

I learned that I wasn’t a candidate for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) due to the size of my artery and the location of the blockage.

That’s when my doctor proposed a cutting-edge solution—a Protected PCI procedure with Impella, a tiny heart pump.

Yes, I was scared of having surgery, and so was my family. My doctor explained that the procedure was minimally invasive and that I would most likely have a quicker recovery compared to if I had an open-heart surgery. This helped put me at ease, along with my family.

In February 2023, she implanted the Impella CP heart pump to allow my heart to rest while placing a stent. This procedure was a beacon of hope amidst my health turmoil.

Two days after the procedure, I returned home to my family, carrying a new sense of life. The pump thankfully recovered my heart.

The journey, however, left deep scars. I kept wondering how a condition so serious went unnoticed for so long.

Read the full coverage: The Doctor Brushed Off My Symptoms. He Missed a Life-Threatening Problem

Balancing The Pros And Cons Of AI In Healthcare

Jesse Corn, CPO Zivian Health, is a digital health executive and health tech founder with over 14 years of experience in digital solutions.

Even within the constantly evolving landscape of healthcare in the United States, the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a complete game-changer.

From predictive and personalized treatment plans to models for early diagnosis, AI is already transforming the healthcare sector in unprecedented ways. However, like any novel and groundbreaking technology, the utilization of AI in healthcare comes with a set of opportunities and trade-offs that keep it both topical and controversial.

Read the full article: Balancing The Pros And Cons Of AI In Healthcare

The holidays can bring up a lot of memories and emotions. We spoke to one Tampa man who says they remind him of how lucky he is to be alive.

“I’m just appreciating the things in life we take for granted,” Jack Dikranian said, sitting alongside his wife, Tiffany. “Going to dinner. Just as simple as it sounds, just doing something together, just having the next day together.”

Jack battled cancer as a child. The treatments left him with a weakened heart, which set the stage for a lifetime of health challenges.

Last year, on Thanksgiving Day, Jack and his wife Tiffany got a call they’d been waiting for and desperately needed. Jack was being given a chance at a new heart, the solution to his congestive heart failure.

“I got the call at 2:30 in the morning,” Tiffany Dikranian said. “There’s a donor heart available. We’re going to match it in the next few hours. We’ll let you know. The procedure then got scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving.”

But when the new heart began to fail, and a second transplant didn’t appear to be a viable option, Tiffany and the Tampa General Hospital doctors were compelled to take a leap of faith.

Jack would become the first person in Florida to benefit from a new heart pump technology, the Impella RP Flex Heart Pump.

Impella RP Flex was implanted, allowing Jack’s heart to rest and recover. Within a few weeks, Jack’s heart function had improved and Impella was removed.

Tampa General Hospital’s Medical Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Program, Dr. Ioana Dumitru, was behind the operation.

“This was, for Jack, a life-saving intervention,” Dr. Dumitru said.

Asked how she felt to be the first in Florida to use the device in this way, Dr. Dumitri said, “It’s a mixture of excitement and tension, as no matter how prepared you are, you are still dealing with a new device with potential complications.”

Dr. Dumitru said TGH is at the forefront of many innovations, particularly in the area of cardiovascular medicine.

One year later and healthier than ever, Jack has but one word, to describe how he feels today — “blessed.”

He said he is not taking a single heartbeat for granted, and while he’s grateful for the life-saving technology, he’s also grateful to the one who never left his side, his wife.