Teamwork is a familiar and valued concept for 19-year-old Howell resident J.J. Machnik. From being named captain of his high school wrestling team as a junior to inspiring younger students to join the roster, he’s always had a talent for bringing people together. But he never realized the crucial role teamwork would play in saving his life until the month before his high school graduation.
On May 10, J.J. was working out at a friend’s house in preparation for a wrestling tournament. One moment, he was running on the treadmill – and the next, he fell to the floor with a thud. Realizing that J.J. wasn’t breathing, his friends Giovanni, 18, and Trevor, 14, sprang into action by performing CPR with rescue breaths. Trevor’s mom heard the fall and called 9-1-1 as she ran down the stairs.
J.J.’s friends knew he had a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which can cause the heart muscle to thicken and make it more difficult to pump blood. J.J. was at risk for this condition – often passed down through genes – since it runs in the family. Upon learning about J.J.’s diagnosis at age 14, his mom, Laura, sought the expertise of Matthew Martinez, MD, director of Sports Cardiology and director of the Chanin T. Mast Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Morristown Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, a CentraState partner. Together, they created an awareness and treatment plan that enabled J.J. to continue wrestling.
That emergency action plan prompted Trevor’s dad, a state trooper, to provide CPR education to J.J.’s teammates and friends – the first step of many that saved his life.
A Chain of Expertise
On that fateful day in May, the boys performed CPR until the Howell police and CentraState paramedics arrived to continue resuscitation efforts as they rushed J.J. to CentraState’s Emergency Department. Meanwhile, CentraState emergency and interventional cardiology physicians accessed all of J.J.’s information – including Dr. Martinez’s medical notes – from the Epic electronic health record shared with Atlantic Health System.
“Having detailed insight into J.J.’s condition, we knew before he even arrived that this was not a typical cardiac arrest,” explains Jatinchandra Patel, DO, medical director of CentraState’s Robertshaw Cardiovascular Interventional Center. “J.J. required stabilization and transport for critical specialty care. Without that stabilization, the outcome would have been very different.”
To collaborate on vital next steps, Dr. Patel and CentraState interventional cardiologist Aaron VanHise, DO, were in instant contact with Amirali Masoumi, MD, medical director of Cardiac Critical Care and medical and interventional director of the Cardiogenic Shock and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Morristown Medical Center.
“Our collaboration with Morristown is literally seamless,” says Dr. VanHise. “It’s almost like having these colleagues right here with us in Freehold.”
Working with an interdisciplinary team, Dr. Patel, Dr. VanHise and CentraState emergency medical physician Mark Waciega, MD, administered treatment to increase J.J.’s blood pressure, calm his heart arrythmia and support his heart function. The Atlantic Mobile Health critical care transport team then rushed J.J. to Morristown, continuing lifesaving measures on the way.
Critical Care Interventions
At Morristown, J.J. was still unconscious with limited heart function. Following frank conversations with J.J.’s family, Dr. Masoumi and his team facilitated critical care measures, inducing a medical coma to preserve brain function and initiating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide heart and lung support.
J.J.’s family remained vigilant by his side. On Mother’s Day, J.J. squeezed Laura’s hand. When his heart and organs finally responded, the team was able to remove ECMO support. By the end of that week, J.J. woke up with his brain function intact.
“The feeling of seeing him back to 100% himself was more than relief,” says Laura. “It was the greatest victory I have ever watched him win.”
“A case like this marks you for the rest of your life,” says Dr. Masoumi. “Regardless of technology, it’s the people who save lives. That’s what J.J.’s friends did, what CentraState did and what happened with every other step along the way.”
Since leaving the hospital, J.J. was crowned prom king and graduated with his class. While he won’t continue to wrestle, his options are abundant.
“Many heroes made this miracle possible,” adds Laura. “It’s truly amazing.”
“I’m so lucky that so many people had my back,” says J.J., “and my heart.”
CARDIOLOGY SERVICES AT CENTRASTATE
Learn more about CentraState’s cardiology services and our clinical partnership with Atlantic Health System.
