The Fight for His Life: One Man’s Story of Survival and Strength

A retired commercial fisherman and lifelong outdoorsman, John Hickman’s work and hobbies reflect who he is – a strong, resilient family man. In the fall of 2023, a successful hunting trip would test the strength of his heart and fighting spirit, but the support of his family and care team at University Medical Center New Orleans ensured that John lived to tell the best hunting story of his life.

The Hunt That Put His Heart to the Ultimate Test
 

Before celebrating Thanksgiving with his family, John ventured into the woods to try his luck. He soon had a buck and was on his way to retrieve it, when a bobcat interfered. Never one to back down from protecting what’s his, John ended up keeping his deer and taking home a trophy bobcat as well!

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it because the bobcat put up a heck of a fight,” John recalled. “Before I got out of the woods, my defibrillator had shocked me three times.”

John’s defibrillator had been implanted years earlier, following his first heart attack in 2005. After a day of crabbing, he and his wife, Diana, were delivering the catch of the day when John broke out in a sweat and passed out while driving. Diana was able to steer them to safety, and after coming to, John insisted on making the last delivery before going to the nearest hospital. Once there, John underwent bypass surgery, a procedure that re-routes blood flow around blocked coronary arteries. He also received an implanted defibrillator to regulate irregular heart rhythms caused by the damage to his heart.

Since his heart attack, John has faithfully taken his medications and kept up with his cardiology appointments, all while continuing his passion for hunting and fishing. Eighteen years later, as he emerged from the woods with the bobcat, John felt a slight pressure in his chest, but dismissed it as nothing too serious.

“On Friday, I wasn’t feeling well, but I thought it was just the effects of too much Thanksgiving food the day before and the load of carrying the bobcat out of the woods,” John explained. “But, a few hours later, I told Diana to call an ambulance because I was feeling much worse and had been shocked three more times.”

They asked the paramedics to take John to University Medical Center, where he could be under the care of his long-time physicians Frank Smart, MD, who specializes in advanced heart failure, and Jameel Ahmed, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist. But John’s condition was so concerning that the paramedics were required to take him to the closest hospital.

His Heart Couldn’t Win The Fight Alone

Tests would reveal that John’s original bypass had failed, likely from the stress of fighting the bobcat. The hospital was able to place a stent, but John began experiencing ventricular tachycardia, when the ventricles of the heart beat too fast, and his defibrillator couldn’t keep up. Left untreated, ventricular tachycardia, or VT, can have serious complications, including cardiac arrest.VT is commonly treated with ablation, a procedure to identify and neutralize the heart tissue causing the irregular rhythms.

“At this point, John’s heart was very weak, so we knew that he needed full mechanical support during the ablation,” explained Dr. Smart. “We were able to get him transferred to University Medical Center, where we could externally support his brain and organs while we worked on his heart.”

John’s case was so severe that he required two forms of mechanical support—ECMO and an Impella—in order to undergo the ablation procedure to treat his VT. ECMO, short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, uses a machine to take over the work of the heart and lungs. Blood is pumped out of the body, carbon dioxide is removed, oxygen is added, and then the blood is pumped back into the body. An Impella is a small pump that helps move oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

While both Impella and ECMO are common treatments, John’s case marked the first “EC-pella” supported VT ablation at University Medical Center and in New Orleans, and possibly the first of its kind in the state, which required a multidisciplinary team of specialists. John’s “EC-pella” treatment was led by Murtuza Ali, MD, an interventional cardiologist, and Yasin Khan, MD, a critical care pulmonologist.

“A normal ablation is less than four hours, and John’s procedure lasted about eight hours due to the amount of work that his heart needed,” explained Dr. Ahmed. “The good news is the procedure went very well, as we were able to take our time knowing that his body was well-supported during the procedure.”

Following the ablation, John was sedated for a few days as his body was slowly weaned off the mechanical support and his heart adjusted to resuming its full workload.

“Those few days were the toughest for me,” recalled Diana. “The medical team had prepared me that sometimes weak hearts don’t want to pick the work back up, but I knew John was a fighter. As his heart got stronger, people kept stopping by to see ‘the miracle.’ I give a lot of the credit for his recovery to the University Medical Center team. Every staff member was so kind and very knowledgeable. I had complete trust in Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Smart – if they recommended something, I said, ‘Do it.’”

The Road to Recovery

In late December, John was discharged from University Medical Center and entered inpatient rehabilitation. While his heart was stronger, his body was tired, so he needed extra assistance to resume walking. Today, John knows his limits, but he hasn’t stopped doing what he loves.

“I still go hunting and fishing when I can,” John said. “I still do some cooking here at home and mow my own yard. What I learned from all of this is to pay close attention to my body and to not delay care when something doesn’t feel right.”

And, that’s what Drs. Ahmed and Smart want people to remember about John’s story – patients are more likely to have better outcomes the sooner treatment begins.

“I always tell my patients to have a low threshold for being seen,” explained Dr. Ahmed. “So often, they feel like they are bothering someone, but they aren’t – University Medical Center has a great cardiology team ready to help. I don’t just say that we have a great team because I work here – this is where my family gets their heart care too.”

“With every patient, my goal is to get them back to their life,” said Dr. Smart. “For John, that means hunting and fishing, so I love to hear about what he’s been up to when he comes in for his appointments. Life is about doing what you love with those you love, and it’s my job to help my patients live their best life.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a heart attack happens about every 40 seconds. Getting immediate help is essential to saving as much of the heart muscle as possible, and that’s where University Medical Center’s Heart & Vascular Care team is here to help. Learn more about our team, which includes some of the best cardiologists in the state, who are always at the ready to help protect the heartbeat of New Orleans.