HEART CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY
HOWIE’S STORY
In 1939, 16-year-old Howard “Howie” Meeker was denied entry into the Canadian Air Force on the premise he had an unhealthy heart. No one told him what the issue was, only that his heart could not endure the physical strain of the job. But this did not stop him from living life to its fullest. A self-taught hockey player, Howie became a star for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over his lifetime, he went on to win four Stanley Cups, distinguished titles such as NHL Head Coach and General Manager, and thousands of Canadian hearts as one of the country’s favourite hockey commentators. He retired in Parksville and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2010 as recognition for his exceptional contributions to our country. But a few years ago, Howie’s life was put on hold when he was given six months to live. His doctors had detected a heart murmur and diagnosed him with aortic stenosis, a condition that makes the heart work harder to pump blood due to calcium deposits in the valves. Unfortunately, medication could not reverse the damage and open heart valve surgery was not an option as his age classified him as high risk. Thankfully for Howie, he was referred to Dr. Anthony Della Siega at Royal Jubilee Hospital. As an interventional cardiologist, Dr. Della Siega treats the heart through minimally invasive procedures. After specialized cardiac testing, Dr. Della Siega knew he could give Howie a better and longer life through a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Performed in the Heart Catheterization Laboratory at Royal Jubilee Hospital, the procedure is revolutionary. It allows cardiologists to access the heart through a small incision in the patient’s leg and thread a catheter lightly through the artery until it reaches the diseased valve. To guide this meticulous task without perforating the artery, the team constantly monitors real-time images being taken by a C-arm, a piece of equipment that rotates around a patient’s body to capture the movement of the catheter. When the catheter is stable, a new biological valve is inserted through it. Immediately following the procedure, Howie’s heart started working normally again. He was up and walking the very next day, feeling lighter and stronger. “What a feeling!” he remembers. Four years later, Howie is alive and well. “I have never felt as good as I have since the procedure and I cannot thank Dr. Della Siega and the entire Heart Health team enough for their compassion and remarkable care.” “The new C-arm is essential to our work,” says Dr. Della Siega. “The fact that we can replace a faulty valve in under an hour without having to put patients through surgery is incredible. After insertion, the new biomedical valve works within seconds of placement and allows blood to immediately flow throughout the body.”