Ainsley Flynn, 22, of the South Side, has been working as a patient care representative in the cardiac ICU unit of Allegheny General Hospital for nine months. Unless she tells them, those patients would never know that less than a year ago, she spent 15 days in that very same unit on life support.
Flynn had just celebrated Christmas in 2024, followed by her 21st birthday two days later. She capped off the celebration by attending a Penguins game. While Flynn was at the game, she got a severe headache.
Still sick six days later, she vomited and lost consciousness. She ended up at St. Clair Hospital, where doctors found fluid around her heart. After a full exam and draining the fluid, Flynn was ready to be discharged. Then, her heart rate and blood pressure spiked.
Flynn was found to be in cardiogenic shock, a condition in which the body fails to pump enough blood to meet the needs of vital organs.
St. Clair ER doctors contacted Allegheny General Hospital and consulted with Candice Lee, a cardiothoracic surgeon.
After reviewing Flynn’s case, Lee believed that the cardiogenic shock was the result of viral myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a viral infection. Flynn was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine to oxidate her blood and allow her heart and lungs to rest. Although her condition had stabilized, she was in critical condition and on a ventilator and Lee wanted her transferred to Allegheny General Hospital for additional care.
A little before midnight, Flynn was flown to AGH, where Lee installed an Impella heart pump, made by Johnson & Johnson MedTech to help circulate the blood, prevent clotting and relieve pressure from the ECMO pump.
