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Pregnancy Crisis: Mom Survives Rare Heart Tear
24 Jan
Summary
- Woman survived a rare spontaneous coronary artery dissection during pregnancy.
- A novel heart pump was used to support her failing heart.
- Her baby was delivered successfully at 27.5 weeks gestation.
Cassandra King faced a life-threatening situation during her pregnancy with a rare spontaneous coronary artery dissection. This sudden cardiac event caused her heart to pump at only 25% capacity, severely endangering both her and her baby. Despite recommendations to terminate the pregnancy, King was determined to survive and deliver her child.
Medical teams devised an innovative plan, utilizing the Impella 5.5 heart pump to support King's failing heart. This procedure was particularly novel as it was used to sustain a pregnancy from a non-viable stage to a point of potential fetal survival.
King's condition remained critical through the holiday season. On New Year's Eve, chest pain necessitated surgery to implant the heart pump. The procedure was perilous, with King's blood pressure dropping and her baby showing distress, requiring her to be placed on life support.
At 27.5 weeks gestation, with the baby having a 95% chance of survival, King agreed to a C-section. Her daughter, Persephone, was born weighing two pounds, four ounces. King recovered after the removal of her heart pump, and Persephone spent three months in the NICU. King has since completed cardiac rehabilitation, and Persephone is now a healthy toddler.
