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Miami, FL — Johnny White considers himself a walking miracle. In December 2012, the 40-year-old was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital with a massive aortic dissection, or a tear in his aorta, due to his untreated high blood pressure.
Doctors from Jackson Memorial Hospital’s cardiology team saved White’s life by performing a very complicated surgery, which required repairing his aorta and creating a bypass graft connecting his auxiliary artery to femoral artery.
During his stay in the hospital, he was also diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, or weakness of the muscle of his heart. Despite prolonged treatment with medications, his cardiac function remained at only 10 to 15 percent. This reduced function of the heart made White prone to sudden cardiac death secondary to fatal arrhythmias.
Doctors informed White that a defibrillator would be the best option to prevent sudden cardiac death – but implantation had to be delayed due to persistent large draining wounds in his lower extremities.
Due to his chronic wound infections, a history of sepsis and bilateral complex surgery, he was not a candidate for a conventional defibrillator, which requires that leads be placed inside the heart via the veins. Instead, he was offered the Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator (S-ICD) System, a device recently approved in the United States.
The subcutaneous defibrillator system consists of a shock box and connected wire, also known as a lead, and it is implanted without actually entering the veins or the heart. If White were to develop a fatal arrhythmia, this defibrillator would detect it and deliver a shock to prevent him from dying.
“We are proud to be the first and only hospital in Miami-Dade County to implant this subcutaneous defibrillator, which has multiple benefits and is a great alternative to patients who are prone to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias for whom the routine defibrillator device is not ideal,” said Assaf Tzur, M.D., medical director of electrophysiology at Jackson Memorial. “Especially in young patients like Mr. White, who are extremely prone to infections, this device sits outside the heart and still provides the same lifesaving function as a traditional defibrillator. It has revolutionized medical care.”
In May 2014, White successfully underwent implantation of the subcutaneous defibrillator system.
“The last couple of years have been tough, but now I have a chance at survival,” White said. “I know that I have a defibrillator that can help me right away.”
Doctors are optimistic about White’s future with the new defibrillator.
“In young and active patients, there is a significant risk of the leads of a traditional defibrillator to malfunction due to lead fracture,” said Abhijit Ghatak, M.D., a University of Miami/Jackson cardiology fellow. “It is known that more than one-third of the leads of the traditional defibrillator may fail over the period of eight years. This new system is not only much safer to implant, but also the leads are prone to much less stress – and hence, significantly lower risk of malfunction over its lifetime.”
White is grateful to Jackson doctors and believes his new defibrillator will give him a second chance at life.
“I am very blessed to be alive,” he said. “Jackson first saved my life when my aorta tore and now thanks to this latest procedure and their miracle work, I feel more at peace with my heart.”
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