This article was published in the 2007 Spring issue of Robinson Today.

Two days after delivering her first child, Cassie Finnegan noticed something odd, she was still gaining weight. "My legs were so huge I had to have someone help me swing them in and out of bed, and a cut on my leg was leaking water."

Earlier in her pregnancy, Finnegan had complained of heart palpitations and trouble breathing, especially while lying down--all classic signs of heart failure. She delivered a baby girl via C-section on April 27, 2006 and within days, this 31 year old was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy. This rare disorder can be fatal and is characterized by a weakened heart near childbirth.

"We did the work-up and found moderately severe deterioration of the heart's function," said Finnegan's cardiologist, Philip Keyser, MD, FACC of NEOCS.

After she spent eight days in the hospital, Keyser referred Finnegan to Robinson's Heart Failure Clinic for weekly outpatient treatment. By October, Finnegan's heart was pumping normally, and she could lie down without trouble breathing.

Finnegan said she is no longer experiencing symptoms, but she will continue taking her heart medications and visiting Robinson's Heart Failure Clinic and Dr. Keyser annually.

"The clinic offers a comprehensive approach to evaluating, educating and guiding the patient," Dr. Rubin said. "They are able to follow up with the patient frequently and make sure the patient is following the physician's plan of care."

The Heart Failure clinic opened in February 2006 with about 80 patients and has grown to more than 250 active patients today. The clinic is currently the only heart failure clinic in Akron area that combines medical treatment with professional dietary instruction and rehabilitation. According to a 2004 article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, populations that participated in heart failure clinics showed a 43 percent reduction in heart failure readmission rates.

"This is not something we can cure, " said Deana Fletcher, RN, CNP, of NEOCS. "But our goal is to help them feel better, stabilize their disease process and improve ventricular function."

For more information about the Heart Failure Clinic, call 330.297.6110.