Young Professional Thriving After Surviving Myocarditis

Kyle Hewlett is a healthy and active 24-year-old from Hackensack, NJ. Kyle was recovering from a virus with a persistent cough but otherwise felt well. In July 2023, he began experiencing fatigue, fever and pressure in his chest. When his symptoms did not recover, his mother, Gina Gilmore, took him to the emergency room at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ. Test results revealed elevated cardiac enzymes and he was admitted to the cardiac unit. The following day, he was extremely nauseous before he passed out and went into cardiac arrest. After 90 minutes of CPR, he was resuscitated and sent to the cardiac catheterization lab in cardiogenic shock. That’s when Dr. Stephen Angeli implanted the Impella CP® heart pump to allow Kyle’s heart to rest. He was then transferred to Hackensack Medical Center and placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide oxygenated blood to his organs. While on “ECPella” support, he was transferred to another hospital for a potential heart transplant. However, after a few days, Kyle’s heart function began to recover and ECMO and Impella were weaned and removed. Once he had a defibrillator placed, he returned home to his family.

Today, Kyle’s heart function has returned to normal and he feels great. He enjoys walking his dog and spending time with friends and family. He is also looking forward to returning to work in the near future.