Brad Hedlund Testimonial: The First Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) Therapy Procedure at MercyOne

Learn more about MercyOne Heart Care

Brad Hedlund’s heart health story began in 2011 when his heart stopped at work after a severe drop in his potassium level. "I died, and the paramedics brought me back to life that day,” he said. 

Twelve years later and now in heart failure, Brad’s quality of life was saved – this time at MercyOne Siouxland Heart and Vascular Center with a first-of-its kind implantable heart device called Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) Therapy. Brad of Sioux City, Iowa, has Type 1 diabetes and describes his health decline over the past few years like this: “I felt like my body was shutting down.” 

CCM therapy has transformed Brad’s health after some significant heart events in his life. 

"We better go to the hospital.” 

In 2016, Brad felt so weak and sick to his stomach while cutting trees and chipping wood that he called his significant other, Ann Greene, to drive him home. By evening the next day, he couldn't catch his breath. “I said to Ann, ‘We better go to the hospital.’” 

As nurses and physicians rushed around his hospital room, Brad jokingly asked, “What’s going on? Am I going to die or something?” He realized his condition was serious when one of the doctors responded, “Well, we’re going to try to keep you here as long as we can.” Brad had suffered a heart attack the day before and was now in heart failure. Cardiologists found that one of the arteries in his heart was almost entirely blocked. They placed a stent in his artery to keep it open. "I got out of the hospital and thought I was Superman,” said Brad. 

When his cardiologists saw Brad performing as an Elvis impersonator at an event a week or two later, they couldn’t believe his stamina. 

Hopeless to hopeful 

Brad had six years of improved health, and then in 2022, he began to feel tired and lightheaded all the time. “I felt like I was walking with concrete shoes on my feet. It was scary.” 

Ann recalled, “He had no desire or energy to do anything. He would stand up from a chair and lose his breath. Sometimes he would go down to one knee or lean against a wall until he felt like he could breathe normally.” 

Brad’s health took a toll on him and Ann. “For years, Brad was my 'partner in crime’ so to speak, but since 2016, things had changed drastically,” Ann said. “I felt like his caregiver vs. his girlfriend, with many days of feeling very overwhelmed and alone.” 

For Brad, things seemed hopeless. Convinced he was going to die, he started selling his possessions. 

Brad knew he didn’t want to die, so he came to MercyOne Siouxland Heart and Vascular Center for a second opinion. “Everybody was so upbeat, and they said, ‘We can help you.’” Gary Chan, DO and Mohammad El Baba, MD, as well as Heart Failure Manager, Lynett Kayl, RN, determined he was the perfect candidate for the CCM procedure that had been done in other places, but not yet in Siouxland. 

What is CCM therapy? 

CCM therapy is delivered by the Optimizer. a minimally invasive, implantable device that improves contraction of the heart to allow more oxygen-rich blood to reach the body. CCM therapy provides precisely timed electrical pulses to the heart for five hours a day, in one-hour treatments separated by regular intervals. During the other intervals of time, it allows the heart to rest, just as you would allow your body to rest after a workout at the gym. 

The Optimizer is similar in size to a pacemaker and implanted while the patient is under light sedation. It’s charged once a week for 45 minutes by placing a charger on top of the device underneath the skin. 

First, Brad had to take the medication for one year, and if he met all the criteria, he could receive the procedure. After a year passed and he was approved for CCM Therapy, he developed a blood clot. This delayed his procedure for another year, but on March 1, 2024, Brad became the first patient ever to have the procedure done at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center. 

“The day after the procedure, I got up at 8 a.m. and went to an auction, and I could tell I felt better,” Brad said. “I still do.” 

Grateful for MercyOne 

Just two weeks after the procedure, Brad says he’s living an entirely different life, “I feel better than I have in years. I don’t feel lightheaded, and my legs don’t feel like I'm walking in mud. I’m able to do things around the house. I just feel much better.” 

Ann’s life has positively shifted as well, “I see such a positive change in him. We are communicating better, and he seems a bit easier going. I feel like I have a chance to have my partner back.” She’s proud of how Brad, who doesn’t like to be told what to do, followed his doctor’s orders to qualify for CCM therapy. “We love his doctors here at MercyOne. It has been a wonderful, amazing experience, and I am just so grateful we came to MercyOne.” 

Lynett, from the MercyOne Siouxland Heart and Vascular Center, was surprised to see how far Brad had come in two weeks at his follow-up appointment, “He’s a different person. Before the procedure, he was angry and frustrated, very negative. I cannot believe the positive change in him.” 

Brad sums it up best: “I see a future that I couldn’t imagine before I got the CCM procedure. MercyOne saved my life.”