Dr. Dina Al Ramenni and her transplant team hartford healthcare delivered a groundbreaking, life-saving gift just before the holiday season, performing a surgery that reportedly performed a heart transplant on a patient in Connecticut.
This summer, Sharon Mack, 62, of East Hartford, was diagnosed with heart failure and was placed on the list for a heart transplant.
“Before my heart transplant, I couldn't even walk 10 feet without stopping to catch my breath,” Mack said. “When I was at the grocery store, I had to lean on the cart for support. I was so out of breath. I couldn't do much. Everything took a long time and my body was exhausted. It felt like it stopped.”
Al Ramenni said Mack had been waiting for her heart for four months and was at high risk of rejection.
“She had end-stage heart failure and was dependent on medication that had to be injected through a line into her heart to function on a daily basis,” Al Ramenni said. “She had been struggling with it for years, but when I saw her in July, I said she would be a good candidate for a heart transplant. I had to find one organ that didn't.”
Al Ramenni said if Mack had not gotten a new heart, his heart would not be able to pump enough blood throughout his body and he would have suffered multiple organ failure.
“It was a late night transplant, and everyone was asleep when we found out the heart was coming. In the transplant world, that's our working hours,” Al Ramenni said. “We have to get ready to go. These patients have been on the transplant list for weeks and months in advance, and Sharon's surgery was completed overnight. Very peaceful, full of great energy. It was a great night.”
Al Ramenni and her team performed the groundbreaking transplant surgery on November 13th. She was one of a five-person team in the operating room during the four-hour surgery.
“That day, I got a call saying I had a heart,” Mack said. “I was thinking about how to start my day, whether to take a shower or eat first. I took a shower and someone told me I didn't eat yet, so I guess I'm glad I took a shower.” .
“My psychiatrist taught me the right way of thinking and put me in the right headspace,” she added. “She told me to let it go and let people take care of me. The team at Hartford Hospital really cares about their patients. I consider them family. They were great people to me.”
A few hours after the surgery, Al Ramenni stopped by to see her, and the two shared a fist pump.
“Sharon had her breathing tube taken out on the first day of surgery and was already sitting in the chair on the first day,” Al Ramenni said. “She was having breakfast. I was so proud of her. What I loved about Sharon was that she connected with the staff on a personal level. Everyone loved her. I loved her. …She was willing to fight. Sharon is a star.
“I am very invested in my work and my patients,” added Al Ramenni. “This is the best gift I could give. We had the perfect donor. They were the perfect size match. It's so rewarding to see our patients live their lives without any problems.” I'm very happy. My friends know that my happiness is 100 percent.”
unusual procedure
Al Ramenni said fewer than 100 of these transplants have been performed nationwide. Al Ramenni said the procedure could improve transplant outcomes and revolutionize the way transplants are performed.
“The heart is transplanted into an organ management system machine that keeps the heart beating and is preserved in a favorable environment. This is an attractive technology,” Al Ramenni said.
According to the FDA “The OCS heart system supplies oxygen and nutrients to the donor heart by flowing fluid through the heart (perfusion). The device also measures and displays conservation indicators such as temperature and pressure.”
Donated hearts are usually transported to the hospital on ice from a distance of less than four hours. A beating heart transplant has a mechanism that allows the heart to continue beating, allowing it to travel, giving it more time and allowing it to be transplanted from greater distances.
“This new advancement and new technology will allow hearts to be transplanted further away,” Al-Ramenni said.
The first-ever beating heart transplant was performed in October 2022 by Dr. Joseph Wu of Stanford University School of Medicine.
Provided by Hartford Healthcare
Dr. Dina Al Ramenni has been a heart transplant surgeon at Hartford Healthcare for the past five months. She participated in 11 heart transplants and led 5 heart transplants. On Nov. 13, she performed a beating heart transplant on Sharon Mack of Hartford. (Courtesy of Hartford Healthcare)
Al Ramenni said the surgery could be very difficult.
“It's different and technically challenging because the heart is beating,” Al Ramenni said. “It's more like shooting a moving target than shooting a stationary target, faster and less difficult. But I had a great team that helped me maintain constant position. After all, it's still a heart transplant. I made five connections and seeded them, but this time I did it with my heart racing.”
Al Ramenni, who joined Hartford Hospital's staff just five months ago, has performed 11 heart transplants and directed five, including pulsatile heart transplants.
Hartford HealthCare performs an average of 35 heart transplants a year, which is comparable to Yale University and the University of New Haven, which have the most in the state.
Al Ramenni said Mack is the right candidate for the new surgery.
“They're obviously skeptical when you try something new, but I believed in the science,” Al Ramenni said. “I discussed it with my colleagues and decided to do it.”
Al Ramenni said Mack was able to leave the hospital in six days and “her heart started beating on its own right away.” This was very encouraging as her body accepted it very well. ”
historical feat
Mack said he's happy to be making Connecticut history with a new heart.
“I didn't know I was the first patient in the state to receive a beating heart transplant until my doctor told me. I thought I was the first person at Hartford Hospital,” she said. . “It was a blessing and I was very happy. The fact that my heart was beating may have made a difference in my recovery and hastened my progress. It was already beating and I was ready to go. My doctors were in awe. They said I was truly a miracle.”
Mack said she was ready to move around the day after surgery.
“I didn't feel any pain. There was no aches or pains or anything,” Mack said. “I asked the ICU nurses to walk with me and I did two laps around the floor, the next day I did five laps, the next day I did 10. I let him do it and told him to come and pick me up if he fell.”
Mack said she was walking up the stairs on the third day with a new heart. Medical professionals got her to start doing things like folding her clothes so she was ready to go home. ”
A month later, Mack said he felt well and had no pain.
Mack, who grew up in Hartford, has five children, all of whom live in the area. She also has 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She currently lives with one of her daughters and plans to move to a new home in East Hartford. She invited al-Ramenni and the many caretakers who cared for her.
“She asked me to bring her some fine wine,” Al Ramenni said with a laugh. “This was perfect for Sharon. The heart was the only missing piece.”
“They are my miracle medical family,” Mack said. “Each of them was a huge blessing to me. They wanted me to do well and they motivated me and helped me achieve it.”
She said she currently has no trouble going up and down stairs, but sometimes uses a cane.
“I’m very mobile and this wasn’t what I expected,” Mack said. “They thought I would be cared for 24 hours a day, but I basically do everything myself. I cook for myself. I thought I was going to be in the hospital for a month. …I listen to my body. I rest when it tells me to. I'm still healing.”
Mack said one change is that she becomes very emotional.
“I'm so blessed. I'm so happy to have this heart. The entire team at Hartford Hospital has helped get me this far. I didn't get here on my own. ” Mac said. “I wasn't scared. I felt like I was okay, so I didn't have to worry about anything.”
Mack said she has no big plans for her new heart. She said she wanted to go to the beach or the mall instead of sitting around.
“I'm looking forward to being able to keep moving freely. It's the simple things you take for granted,” Mack said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that this is the first beating heart transplant for Hartford Healthcare.
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