Second Chance to Be His Mom
When Jenna Sich was five months pregnant, she started experiencing weakness,
shortness of breath, and fainting episodes. At first, Jenna just attributed
these symptoms to the normal course of her pregnancy, but as the symptoms
worsened, she sought medical help.
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After a series of tests, doctors told Jenna she had cardiomyopathy—an enlarged
heart—with an ejection fraction (which measures how well the heart is pumping)
of only 30 percent, accompanied by an abnormally rapid heartbeat. (Learn
about risk
factors for heart failure.) The condition was dangerous not only
for Jenna, who was at high risk for sudden death, but also for her baby. She
was admitted to the hospital, and Nikolas was delivered by emergency Caesarean
section the next day, luckily only two weeks ahead of schedule.
When cardiomyopathy is pregnancy related, the symptoms often reverse within
several weeks of delivery. So while Nikolas thrived, Jenna was monitored and
treated with medication, but her symptoms continued. After eight weeks of no
improvement, doctors implanted a St. Jude Medical Atlas®
implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), the highest-output,
rate-adaptive ICD in the world.
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Since the implant, Jenna has resumed her busy life, caring for Nikolas and
working as a commission and inventory analyst for a manufacturers'
representative agency. She enjoys going to the theater and concerts, but she
treasures her time with Nikolas most of all.
Jenna knows that the Atlas ICD is a safeguard against potentially lethal heart
arrhythmias. (Learn more about normal
rhythm and arrhythmias.)
"Once the ICD was in place, I no longer had the fear of sudden
cardiac arrest," she says. "That was very comforting after just having
a baby. I appreciate that this technology is available, because without the
implant, my child might not have had me there to watch him grow up."
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