A Berlin Heart Saves a Colorado Life

Life Science

Chantel Allan is an 11-year-old girl who was very active and healthy all her life until one day she started complaining of stomach pains and a loss of appetite.

Chantel's mom, Joetta Russell, took Chantel to the closest hospital in New Mexico to see if her daughter may be catching a cold or have the flu. Chatel's loss of appetite was more than a flu bug, Chantel's heart was enlarged. Chantel was flown Flight for Life to Children’s Hospital Colorado.

At Children's Colorado doctors found that because of Chantel's enlarged heart the fluid around her heart wasn’t pumping normally causing her heart to grow two times its size. 

Chantel was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathy affects people of all ages, it is not curable but can usually be treated successfully. With the help of the Children's Colorado Heart Institute team, Chantel is one of the success stories.

Children’s expert, Dr. Max Mitchell inserted a Berlin Heart, a ventricular assisted device (VAD), into Chantel shortly following her diagnosis. Joetta believes the Berlin Heart is the reason Chantel is alive today.

“That device is usable in babies up to teenagers. It is currently under trial in the U.S.,” said Dr. Mitchell, the attending pediatric cardiac surgeon at Children’s Hospital Colorado who performed all of the procedures on Allan. “Our center was one of 15 national sites involved in testing this device to get the FDA approval.”

Chantel's VAD allowed her to stay alive until a new heart was available, and sure enough Chantel received her new heart and is back to her normal self.

Read more about Chantel's new heart.

Read more about Children's Colorado Heart Institute.