Patrick Mahoney had no reason to doubt his heart health. At age 62, he was active and in good shape. He hiked in the mountains and cut wood in his backyard in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. That’s why he attributed his breathlessness in October 2021 to anxiety. But the troublesome symptoms continued. During a visit to Big Sur, California, a sea-level community that should have been easier to traverse than the 7,800-foot elevation back home, Patrick had trouble walking around the campground with his wife, Tina. When the problems worsened, he called a cardiologist in New Mexico.
An initial EKG showed nothing, but a follow-up echocardiogram indicated congestive heart failure, a condition where the heart muscle can’t optimally pump blood throughout the body. Doctors thought a stent might open a blockage and fix the issue. Instead, they discovered his left ventricle was extremely enlarged. There was no blockage, but something — perhaps a virus — had weakened the heart. They tried medication, but it didn’t work. Specialists told him he needed a heart transplant.
“My wife and I thought, now what?” Patrick said. “I thought this was the end of the world. The scary part was not knowing what to do.” The Mahoneys were advised to find a heart transplant center in a community where they would have support. After considering several locations, Patrick turned to his sister-in-law who lived in Milwaukee and had experience with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. After researching the network, he decided to head to Milwaukee.
Heart Transplant at Froedtert Hospital
Eugenia Raichlin, MD, advanced heart failure cardiologist and MCW faculty member, admitted him to Froedtert Hospital in January 2022. During his stay, Patrick was cared for by members of the Comprehensive Heart Failure and Transplant team. Almost two weeks later, he got the much-desired phone call — a matching donor heart had been found.
Takushi Kohmoto, MD, PhD, MBA, cardiothoracic surgeon and MCW faculty member, was tasked with removing Patrick’s compromised heart and implanting the donor organ.
“As heart transplant surgeries go, Patrick’s surgery was seamless,” Dr. Kohmoto said. “The new heart was a perfect fit.”
“The staff here are miracle workers as far as I can tell,” Patrick said. “They are so compassionate and skilled at what they do.”
While Dr. Kohmoto was the surgical lead for Patrick’s heart transplant, the behind-the-scenes work set the stage. Although Patrick went from patient to recipient within a couple of weeks, many heart patients are treated with medications and devices for several months as they wait for a donor heart. Patients facing an imminent transplant must meet certain requirements, like taking immunosuppressant medications and quitting smoking.
Organ procurement organizations are constantly working to find matches. When a donor heart is available that matches the blood type, physical size and other requirements of the recipient, the team jumps into action to bring it all together. In Patrick’s case, Lucian “Buck” Durham III, MD, PhD, cardiothoracic surgeon and MCW faculty member, performed the surgery to remove the heart from the out-of-state donor. Back at Froedtert Hospital, Dr. Kohmoto and his team were waiting to transplant the heart into Patrick’s chest cavity. Ideally, less than five hours elapse between removing a donor heart and transplanting it into the recipient.
After leaving the hospital, Patrick continued his recovery in Wisconsin at Kathy’s House, a hospital guest house next to Froedtert Hospital that serves patients receiving care at area hospitals. Today, Patrick is back in New Mexico, chopping wood and enjoying life outdoors.
Constant Improvement
Heart transplants have come a long way since the Froedtert & MCW Comprehensive Heart Failure and Transplant Program was introduced in 1985. Froedtert & MCW heart transplant surgeons bring extensive experience to the operating room. Better immunosuppressant medications reduce the risk of a heart transplant being rejected. Rehabilitation programs are evolving as medical professionals understand what brings the greatest benefit to their patients. Anesthesia continues to improve, and critical care treatment and outpatient management have built upon lessons learned over the decades.
“It’s a combination of everything we do before a heart transplant, what we do in the operating room and what we do in the recovery phase,” Dr. Kohmoto said. “Every element of a heart transplant procedure has improved and is still improving because everyone involved in transplant medicine is so committed to providing the best care possible.”
The Froedtert & MCW Comprehensive Heart Failure and Transplant Program is recognized for nationally ranked outcomes and innovative transplant options. For more information, visit the Heart Transplant web page. For an appointment, call 414-777-7700.
