Baylor Patient Stories
Cardiology - Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
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"...It's a much quicker recovery...within a week I was walking a mile a day..."
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Cardiology - Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine
From Failure to Success: Tony Trujillo's Story
Tony Trujillo, an insurance agent from Las Vegas, N.M., said no when his cardiologist recommended a heart transplant. Instead he followed up on a newspaper article about a new treatment for congestive heart failure at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
Tony scheduled an appointment with Paul Grayburn, M.D., and Robert Hebeler, M.D., both involved in the worldwide STICH clinical trial (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure). Although Tony did not qualify for the STICH trial, Dr. Grayburn studied Tonys exam results and decided he was a good candidate for procedures used in the STICH trial. During Tonys open-heart surgery, Dr. Hebeler repaired two valves and used a specially shaped balloon as a model to reshape Tonys left ventricle and restore its pumping ability to almost normal.
I did a lot of research on heart transplants before deciding it was not best for me. Then I hoped and prayed I would find something better. When my aunt called me about the Baylor newspaper article, it was the answer to my prayers.
Heart failure affects 5 million people in the United States. It is typified by a weakened and enlarged left ventricle, the hearts key pumping chamber. Unless treated, the heart fails to pump enough blood to support the bodys need for oxygen and nutrients. The STICH (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure) trial is designed to assess the benefits of adding surgical procedures to non-surgical therapies in treating heart failure. Although the study will not conclude for years, it already has helped Baylor patients reverse their heart failure. Paul Grayburn, M.D., Robert Hebeler, M.D., and Baron Hamman, M.D., have been able to turn the clock back for patients through a procedure being studied in the STICH trial surgical ventricular restoration (SVR), which involves reshaping the hearts left ventricle using a specially shaped balloon as a model. After being repaired, resized and reshaped, the left ventricles ability to pump blood may be able to be restored to almost normal. As a result, some heart failure patients treated with the SVR procedure once again are enjoying activities that had become too strenuous.