Young Japanese Mom Enjoying Life After Surviving Heart Failure

Mikako Sakamoto, 37, from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, experienced nausea and difficulty breathing while pregnant with her first child. On June 2, 2020, her husband, Norihiko, took her to the emergency room at Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital. Mikako continued to have trouble breathing when she arrived at the emergency room and her obstetrician immediately performed an emergency caesarean delivery. 

After delivering her baby, Mikako continued to decompensate, and her medical team determined she was in cardiogenic shock with a severely reduced ejection fraction. Dr. Hideki Saito from the department of cardiology at Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital treated her with a cardiac stimulant, but her symptoms did not improve. Dr. Saito then implanted Impella CP to allow her heart to rest. Mikako’s heart function began to improve and days later, Impella was weaned and removed. After spending over a month in the hospital, she returned home with her baby.

Three months later, her physician discovered that a pheochromocytoma tumor had caused her heart failure and she underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Today, Mikako is enjoying being a mom, working at a local bank, and looking forward to attending a soccer match with her family.