Following a diagnosis of heart failure, Jim B. found that he was growing increasingly weak, to the point that he was bed bound.
Jim’s wife, Patty B., a Certified Wound, Ostomy & Continence nurse at MountainView Hospital, knew that Jim needed emergency care. Jim, a 24-year Marine Veteran, was taken to the Mike O’Callaghan Military Medical Center where he was in cardiogenic shock. Cardiogenic shock is when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to the brain and other vital organs.
Jim was fitted with a new pacemaker, but it was also determined he needed MitraClip™, due to a leaky valve in his heart. Jim was transferred to MountainView Hospital, so that he could undergo what is known as a TEER, or a transcatheter edge to edge repair of the mitral valve.
TEER is a non-surgical and minimally-invasive procedure. An interventional cardiologist, in this case Dr. Jeffrey Levisman, an interventional cardiologist at MountainView’s Las Vegas Heart Associates, repairs a malfunctioning valve by using one or more small clip-like devices placed on the mitral valve to decrease the leaking. This is done without opening the patient’s chest or stopping their heart. The procedure is typically completed within two or three hours and recover is swift, with most patients leaving the hospital within two or three days.
Following Jim’s successful procedure and recovery, he was admitted to MountainView’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. While many patients go home following this procedure, Jim had substantially weakened prior to the procedure and needed to regain his strength.
In rehab, Jim took part in occupational therapy, and rehabilitation therapy up to three hours a day to regain his strength. When Jim entered the hospital initially, he had been bed bound and had trouble standing for any period of time. Through therapy, Jim is not only sitting, he is able to care for himself and is gaining strength to walk unassisted.
Jim said the procedure was quick and easy and appreciates the attention to his total care, not just his heart.
“It would be a different story if I still didn’t have the strength to walk,” Jim said.
“They have given us a new lease on life,” Patty said about the care her husband received. “It is a great team here.”