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A Delivery with Heart
Being diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition is frightening. Being diagnosed
with a life-threatening heart condition while pregnant is another matter entirely.
Christine Gallinaro and her
husband, Chris, had relocated
to Millstone from New York City for
a change of pace and to raise a family.
But soon after they received the
wonderful news that the 35-year-old
Christine was expecting a child, she
began experiencing severe nausea.
Thinking this was beyond
the expected morning
sickness, Christine visited
her obstetrician, but tests
revealed nothing out of the
ordinary. So Christine returned
home greatly relieved. That
feeling quickly vanished,
however, when she woke up,
alone and frightened, after
fainting. She wasn’t sure how
long she’d been unconscious.
"I was so scared and
worried about the baby,"
Christine remembers. "I just
wanted to get to a hospital."
Still fairly new to the area,
Christine called a cousin
who has lived here longer
to confirm that she should
get to the hospital closest
to her home. No, her cousin
told her: "Get to Jersey Shore
University Medical Center."
The Right Place at the Right Time
Once at Jersey Shore, Christine
met with Ihab Girgis, M.D., director of electrophysiology and board-certified
cardiologist, who diagnosed Christine
with long QT syndrome, a lifethreatening
irregular heart rhythm
condition. The QT interval is the
time it takes for the heart muscle
to contract and release. When the QT interval is longer than normal, it
increases the risk for a potentially fatal
rapid heartbeat.
"Long QT syndrome is a genetic
condition and is dangerous as it
is the common cause of unexplained
sudden death," says Dr. Girgis.
"Treatment of the condition is based
on many factors but can include medication or an implantation of
a pacemaker/defibrillator. Christine’s
case was especially challenging
because we had two lives at risk and
had to take everything into account."
The region’s leader in cardiology
and cardiac surgery, Jersey Shore
is home to the most advanced
electrophysiology program in the region, where cardiologists who
specialize in the electrical system
of the heart identify and treat
heart abnormalities.
Dr. Girgis reviewed Christine’s
options with her and ultimately
decided that a defibrillator implant
would provide the best protection
for her and the baby.
A Complicated Condition Gets More Complicated
Due to the suddenly
unexpected higher risk
of Christine’s pregnancy,
physicians from the
Perinatal Institute at Jersey
Shore joined her medical
team. The Perinatal Institute
provides comprehensive,
24-hour care for high-risk
and complex pregnancies,
offering such services as
high-risk procedures, genetic
counseling, and advanced
diagnostic testing.
The Perinatal Institute team
includes obstetricians and
gynecologists board certified
in maternal-fetal medicine,
often referred to as "highrisk
obstetricians." Joseph
Canterino, M.D., one such
specialist from the Institute, met with Christine to discuss how her
new diagnosis could affect the health
and delivery of her baby.
"We primarily worked to evaluate
the baby for any signs of a heart
abnormality," notes Dr. Canterino,
who worked with pediatric cardiologist
Elsa Castro, M.D., in performing the
heart diagnostic testing.
"Thankfully, the baby’s heart appeared normal structurally and had a strong heart
rate, so over the following months,
we closely monitored the baby’s
development and coordinated our
efforts with Christine’s heart team
to keep her and the baby on the
right track to a healthy delivery."
And Baby Makes Three
After the first trimester of her pregnancy,
Christine’s physicians felt it was safe to
perform the defibrillator implant. So her
personal team — including Dr. Girgis,
Dr. Canterino, radiologists, and cardiac
and perinatal nurses and technologists —
all collaborated on the procedure, which
went perfectly smoothly. Christine was
able to return home the very next day.
In the remaining months leading
up to her delivery, Christine continued
to meet with both Drs. Girgis and Canterino, both of whom kept a very
close eye on all aspects of her and her
baby’s health. When the big day finally
arrived, Christine returned to Jersey
Shore, where she was once again met
by her entire team. "I felt so reassured
knowing they were all there — my
perinatal team, my heart team, even
the defibrillator technicians. My only
worry was if there would be enough
room for my husband!"
There was room for Chris, of course,
who joyfully welcomed healthy baby
boy James Arthur into the world with
his wife. "We had moved from the city
to the suburbs with all these high
hopes…then to be hit with all this
news was so devastating," Christine
admits. "But the doctors and nurses at
Jersey Shore were so amazing. I wasn’t sure I could receive this level of care
outside of the city, but I couldn’t have
asked for a better team!"
Now a year old, James is thriving.
Yet Christine has since learned that
her family has a history of long QT
syndrome and that James has also
inherited the condition. So she’s done
a lot of research into the syndrome,
especially as it relates to her son.
"I dedicate my free time to learning
as much as I can," says Christine.
"The doctors and nurses are so patient
and are always there to answer all my
questions. Now I want to help educate
others about the importance of knowing
their family history and finding out as
much as they can as early as they can."
 – Michael Valentino
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