Face of Death--October 2015

 Edeline–October 17, 2015

This is what the face of death looks like.

This is Edeline. She has had heart disease for many years. A leaky mitral valve put her in congestive heart failure.  Her cardiac pathology flooded her lungs with fluid and even swelled her liver until fluid leaked into her abdomen.

In Haiti she was told she would die.  Heart disease in Haiti frequently means death. And heart patient’s know it.

However, Edeline did not die. Haitian Hearts teamed up with three other excellent groups in Haiti and over the course of a year, we were able to bring her to the States for heart surgery. 

We didn’t bring her too soon. The plane ride was rough on her and her pulmonary pressure.  And she ended up in ICU the same day she arrived. Her heart was beating erratically fast. She was short of breath and passed out. 

But the incredible medical center kept her alive somehow. She was malnourished from her cardiac cachexia.  During the two days after admission she even went into shock and developed kidney failure. So early one morning, with a blood pressure of only 70,  Edeline was wheeled to the operating room. Without surgery she would die. The  courageous heart surgeon opened her chest and his excellent team put her very weak heart on bypass.

About seven hours later Edeline left the operating room with a new valve and her heart rhythm was normal. Her blood was flowing in the right direction for the first time in years. The surgeon intentionally destroyed the aberrant electrical pathways in Edeline’s heart which caused it to beat abnormally fast.

Edeline,  being Haitian and all,  survived this organized surgical assault. And in CVICU as she stared at the ceiling as the ventilator breathed for her, she listened to Radio Lumiere streamed from southern Haiti. And she probably heard the people’s voices who told her in Haiti that she had no chance.. but now they were praying for her recovery. 

Edeline’s  face is still contorted and sad 10 days after surgery. How does one get over impending death that has been impending for years? Do you just start smiling again like nothing has happened?

Edeline will be happy again.  She just needs to realize that her rate of dying is no longer on the steep portion of the descending curve.  And that takes time.

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org