When Leo Dooley woke up one day with flu-like symptoms, his wife, Taylor, insisted he go to the hospital for an evaluation. Leo sought care at another facility and was told he needed bypass surgery. When it failed, Leo’s care team reached out to HCA Healthcare’s Medical City Heart Hospital for a higher level of care.
Dr. Brian Lima, surgical director of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Medical City Heart Hospital, and his team immediately flew by helicopter to put Leo on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). Medical City Heart Hospital is one of only two hospitals in North Texas with ECMO transport capabilities. Once stabilized, the team transported Leo to Medical City Heart Hospital, where he underwent heart transplantation surgery.
“I wanted to be a part of a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to save a life,” said Dr. Lima. “If there is a patient in need, no matter where they are, we’ll find a way to get to them as quickly as possible and give them the support that they need.”
With his new heart, Leo is doing better than ever and is back at home with his wife and two young children. “I would not be here without this hospital or the people in it,” said Leo.
Transplants are lifesaving and life giving. HCA Healthcare is proud of the physicians and caregivers across our organization who help provide the gift of life through transplant medicine. In 2021, HCA Healthcare completed 77 heart transplants, 120 liver transplants and 1,103 kidney transplants.