Woman’s Heart Condition Remedied With Breast Implants

A Florida resident recently made news headlines for her “misplaced heart” and unconventional medical use of breast implants.  Fox News reported that a woman named April Pinkard actually had breast implants to correct a rare heart condition.

When she was only four years old, Pinkard had a lung removed due to disease present at birth.  30 years later, Dr. Mohammed Choudhury discovered something very strange during a physical examination of Ms. Pinkard.  Her heartbeat was virtually absent.

She recalls that day, saying “he listened [for] my heartbeat one day and it just wasn’t there.” Closer medical exams led doctors to conclude that her heart had shifted or “floated” out of its proper position.  An operation was immediately necessary.

At the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic, surgeons found that the heart had moved considerably.  The immediate solution was to fill her chest cavity with water, then float the heart back into its natural position.  But something had to be done to prevent the condition from re-occurring. To fill the void left by her lung and immobilize the heart, doctors placed implants in her chest.  She told one reporter, “you can hear it move.  If I push on my chest you can feel the squishes.”

Ms. Pinkard still faces health related problems, most notably, the possibility of a lung transplant in the near future.  But she is a strong-willed lady and apparently has some talented, innovative medical professionals on her side.