The Path to: Dealing With a Failing Heart
At age 52, Tom Kelly of Buffalo, N.Y., knew his heart was failing. He’d had a pacemaker for nearly nine years, but his health was steadily declining. One evening in 2014, he collapsed while getting ready for bed after experiencing a cluster of ventricular tachycardia (VT) events — a fast heart rate caused by faulty heart signaling.
“I had a VT storm, which is usually fatal,” he explains. “I flatlined, but a lot of things went right that evening.” EMTs rushed Tom to a hospital in Rochester where he was stabilized.
He was stunned to hear there was nothing else the doctors there could do.
“They told me to get my affairs in order,” says Tom. His sister, who lives in Pittsburgh, urged him to get to UPMC in Pittsburgh as quickly as possible for a second opinion.
At UPMC Presbyterian, doctors determined that Tom wasn’t well enough to get a heart transplant. Instead, they surgically implanted a left ventricular assist device to allow his failing heart to keep pumping blood while he gained strength. Three months later, Tom was back in Pittsburgh to get a new heart.
“My sister basically saved my life,” he says.
Tom’s Return to UPMC: Dealing With a Kidney Cancer Diagnosis
Seven years later in 2022, doctors spotted something worrisome on Tom’s right kidney while conducting a routine cardiac MRI. He had stage 2 kidney cancer and the tumor had to be removed.
Any noncardiac surgery poses a risk for heart transplant patients because of the antirejection drugs they take and the need for special monitoring during general anesthesia. These and other complex medical considerations require an experienced surgeon who will prepare a detailed assessment of the patient prior to surgery.
“I was concerned,” says Tom, “and just hoping the cancer hadn’t metastasized.”
Fortunately for Tom, the cancer was confined to his right kidney and had not spread.
A call to the UPMC heart transplant team put him in touch with Michael Ost, MD, a UPMC urologist with expertise in treating kidney cancer.
“I received superior, more knowledgeable, and a more personal level of service at UPMC during my heart transplant journey,” he says. “So, I knew it was the best place for me to be.”
The Outcome
In summer 2022, Dr. Ost removed Tom’s right kidney in what he described as an “uneventful surgery.”
“Dr. Ost tried very hard to save the kidney,” says Tom. “And I think he was bothered by the fact that he couldn’t. For me, it was like — ‘if it’s got to go, it’s got to go.’”
Three weeks later, Tom was back to work as vice president of manufacturing for a material handling equipment business in Buffalo. In the spring of 2024, Tom and his wife Kathy will head to San Diego for their oldest son’s wedding.
“It’s really nice that I’m still here to see it,” he says.
“I can’t express how great my experience with UPMC has been,” adds Tom. “I’ve dealt with a lot of doctors, and Dr. Ost was just phenomenal with me and my wife. He’s high on my list of favorite people. He has exceptional bedside manners and an expert level of Medical experience. It is not every day that you meet someone as nice — as Dr. Ost.”
