Skip to main content

Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair

Hope Parsley had open-heart surgery as a toddler. Decades later, a second repair required only a small incision
Sutter Medical Center

2022
I never attributed being tired to my heart.

At the tender age of 3, Hope Howard Parsley underwent open-heart surgery to repair a congenital defect: a hole in her heart. The surgery was a success, and she lived a normal and energetic life.

More than four decades later, however, she constantly felt drained and lethargic. But, she says, “I never attributed being tired to my heart.”

After a scary episode with a racing heartbeat and arm pain, Hope’s local hospital sent her to Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. There she met Pei-Hsui Huang, M.D., medical director of the Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Program.

After some tests, “Dr. Huang explained that I had a repair that lasted 47 years and that at this point, it failed and needs to be replaced,” Hope says

Discover Similar Stories

Choose a service topic below to read more stories like this one.

Your Partners in Heart Health

Your cardiovascular health can’t wait. Come to us for advanced heart care, from blood pressure management to transplants.

Explore Where Care Happened

Disclaimer

Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon circumstances and the healthcare provider’s medical judgment. Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice.

You're leaving our site

The website you have selected is an external one located on another server. This website may contain links to third party sites. These links are provided for convenience purposes and are not under the control of Sutter Health. Do you wish to continue?