Mother Survives Heart Failure While Pregnant

In 2010, Iman Dorty, a vibrant, 28-year-old model living in Los Angeles, was basking in the happiness of being a first-time mom when she started to have debilitating migraines every day. Her appetite was decreasing and she was increasingly tired. Every week, her sister, Megan brought her to the ER at a local LA hospital, yet the ER physicians told her that her symptoms were directly related to a difficult but normal pregnancy. Iman and Megan decided to fly to South Carolina where their mother lived, so Iman could at least be more comfortable. Within days of arriving in South Carolina, Iman had a severe seizure and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. When Iman arrived, her family was informed that she had suffered two strokes and her heart was failing due to an infection that caused her to go into cardiogenic shock. Doctors successfully delivered Iman's baby boy, Liam, two months prematurely and then performed heart surgery with the support of the Impella 5.0®. Following surgery, Iman's heart recovered enough to function on its own and the Impella was removed. Iman remained in the hospital for rehabilitation after the Impella® heart pump was removed. Today, Liam is 100% healthy, and so is his mother, with no remaining heart problems from her experience.