Second Chance to Help Others

Andrea Cain is a cardiac care nurse with over a decade of experience, but she never imagined herself becoming a patient. Her life was full—juggling nursing responsibilities and raising three young and active children. But when Andrea started waking up short of breath and coughing regularly, she knew something was wrong.

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After more than a year of uncertainty, Andrea was diagnosed with viral dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart caused by an unknown virus. She began experiencing ventricular tachycardias—potentially lethal heart arrhythmias—and was eventually diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. Andrea's doctors told her a heart transplant was her only long-term hope. (Learn more about normal rhythm and arrhythmias.)

"I was in denial," says Andrea. "At the time, my kids were two, five, and seven, and I did not have the luxury of being sick."

But her health slowly deteriorated and in May 1999, she was admitted to the hospital and put on the heart transplant waiting list. Every day, Andrea held out hope that a donor heart would become available, but as the summer passed, her normal optimism began to fade.

Finally, on August 24, 1999, she was told that a suitable heart had been found.

After her transplant, Andrea felt overwhelmed to watch the normal rhythms of her new heart on the monitor. "I cried; it was just amazing," she says.

As part of her postoperative care, Andrea must have annual cardiac catheterization (cath) procedures. Traditionally, these procedures end with firm pressure on the groin area puncture site and four to eight hours of discomfort while lying flat, requiring valuable cath lab time and resources. But, in Andrea's last two procedures, St. Jude Medical's Angio-Seal™ vascular closure device was used to close the puncture site.

"The difference is wonderful," says Andrea. "With Angio-Seal, I was able to recover quickly and painlessly and leave the hospital within two to three hours after the procedure." And for Andrea, that extra time can be spent with her children and enjoying the rest of her busy and rewarding life.

Learn about Angio-Seal's benefits for patients and health care professionals.