By Colton Krolak
PHOENIX — A Valley hospital recently made Arizona history, performing the first ever triple-organ transplant in the state.
Since Doyle Duke first picked up a bat and ball at 8-years old, all he wanted to do was play baseball. As an undersized pitcher, the doubters and the dream to play in the big leagues drove him to persevere, even being named “Pitcher of the Year” twice in high school. Read the full story from KTAR News 92.3FM.
The Heart Failure journey in the dynamic minority communities is an arduous one. Patients of color have a unique perspective and different set of challenges to overcome on their road to transplant.
The HeartBrothers, in collaboration with several Heart Failure Centers and Hospitals throughout New England, is now offering monthly *virtual* Patient Support Group Meetings. The meetings are held the second Thursday of every month @ 6:00 pm (Eastern Time).
Hear brave and awe-inspiring patient stories of women who overcame the challenges of Heart Failure and Heart Transplant yet persevered in their role as mothers.
“Use of temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a bridge to transplantation was a good strategy for many people following implementation of the 2018 national donor heart allocation policy, yet hemodynamic criteria may need to be modified to better identify the most urgent transplant candidates.
Within 14 days of status 2 listing, people with either a percutaneous endovascular MCS device or an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) received a heart transplant in 64.2% of cases, and only 1.9% died or were delisted for worsening clinical condition (a figure that rose to 3.1% at 30 days on the waitlist).”
Learn more here.
“The heart is a strong and muscular organ that is about the size of a fist in adults. It pumps blood throughout the body and is located behind the breastbone between the lungs. Deoxygenated blood flows from the heart to the lungs where it gives up carbon dioxide and is freshly oxygenated. From there, the blood returns to the heart and is pumped to the rest of the body.”
Learn more from UNOS, here.
“A heart transplant may be the most dramatic surgery done in the operating room. Each step takes great precision, from the quick, careful journey to retrieve the heart to the preparation of the recipient, who may be gravely ill and bedridden. The best part is the outcome soon after the transplant, when the patient goes home and starts returning to his or her life—whether that means getting married, having babies, running in marathons, or simply breathing massive sighs of relief while strolling around the neighborhood without having to periodically stop to catch a breath.”
Read all 8 here.
“Recent changes to U.S. donor heart allocation were followed by a narrowing of racial disparities in listing and transplant, though much more work remains to eliminate inequality, researchers warned.
Black patients listed for cardiac transplantation in 2011-2020 were less likely than white peers to die while waiting (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.98). However, they ultimately had lower odds of undergoing transplant (adjusted HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.84-0.90) and a higher risk of post-transplant death (adjusted HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.04-1.24), reported P. Elliott Miller, MD, of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues.”
Read more, here.
“In the land of carb counting, a pasta advocate can be hard to find. Look no further than Dr. Alfredo Trento at the Smidt Heart Institute, who did Cedars-Sinai’s first heart transplant in 1988 and has loved Italian cooking a lot longer than that.
Dr. Trento grew up in Italy, and the love of his life, Robin, spent much of the first year of their marriage learning about one of his other great loves: his mother’s cooking. Versions of those recipes—now with Robin’s own flair—still form the staples of their meals today, drawing inspiration from what’s in season.
A great meal doesn’t necessarily require a trip to the farmers market. Chat with Dr. Trento for a few minutes, and he’ll have you scouring your kitchen cupboards for the makings of a mouth-watering meal that’s as kind to your heart as it is to your palate.”
Read more and find recipes, here.
“Twelve years ago, Ava Kaufman was fighting for her life. Now, thanks to a donor heart and successful organ transplant, she’s alive — and saving others.
“My life changed on a dime,” said Kaufman, who was a professional dancer and black belt in taekwondo when an autoimmune disease went undiagnosed and wiped out her muscular system. She ultimately ended up on life support in intensive care with organ failure.
“I went from living this big life to not knowing how I was going to survive.”
In what she calls a series of small miracles, Kaufman was given a second chance at life.”
Read the full story, here.
Add to Google Calendar