Mike Cullipher

By Tammy White

The average person is often unable to tell when their heart goes into atrial fibrillation. In Mike Cullipher’s case, he said he always knew when those 15 to 30 second rapid heart beating episodes occurred. The Mullins resident began seeing McLeod Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Anil Om for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in 2001.

Atrial fibrillation, also called AF or A-Fib, is one of the most common irregular heart rhythms. An abnormality of the electrical system of the heart, A-Fib is a rapid beating of the upper chambers of the heart, which prevents the heart from pumping blood adequately to the lower chambers.

People who suffer from atrial fibrillation may experience heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, faintness, and mild to severe chest pains.

“Many patients also experience feelings of weakness or fatigue, caused by the heart’s diminished pumping ability,” explained Dr. Rajesh Malik, a McLeod Electrophysiologist.

Over the next fifteen years, Mike’s condition was managed through medication and eventually an ablation, a procedure to correct heart rhythm problems. Performed in the same manner as a heart catheterization, an ablation delivers heat, cold or radio energy through the groin to destroy the tissue that triggers the abnormal rhythms.

The ablation worked for a short time but ultimately Mike’s atrial fibrillation returned. In 2015, he was referred by Dr. Om to Dr. Malik.

“Dr. Malik informed me that at this point in my life my heart was in persistent A-Fib -- meaning all the time,” said Mike. “It was like my heart was running a marathon.”

A healthy heart beats between 60 and 90 times per minute. In A-Fib the upper chambers of the heart can fibrillate up to 500 times a minute. Because the heart is beating so fast and irregularly, the heart’s pumping action does not work properly when the pumping does not function correctly, the blood will not completely empty from the chambers making the blood more likely to pool and to clot. If a clot pumps out of the heart, it can travel to the brain, resulting in a stroke.

“People who have atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke than people who do not have this condition,” said Dr. Malik.

“When my wife Sharon and I met with Dr. Malik, he shared with us that there have been very few patients in his medical career whose irregular heart rhythms he could not correct,” said Mike “I was one of those patients. He was determined to get my heart back in normal rhythm. His resolve gave me confidence that he was going to be dedicated in helping me achieve it.”

Dr. Malik believed Mike’s best chance of recovery was the MAZE procedure.

The MAZE procedure is a surgical intervention for heart patients whose atrial fibrillation cannot be controlled by medications or for those who are undergoing open-heart surgery for other reasons. MAZE cures A-Fib by interrupting the electrical patterns that are responsible for the irregular heartbeat.

With the MAZE procedure, a McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgeon uses a radiofrequency probe to burn lesion areas in the heart tissue without damaging the heart. These lesions, placed in strategic areas of the upper chambers of the heart, generate scar tissue that redirect the electrical pattern so the heart can pump in a normal way.

In December 2015, McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. S. Cary Huber performed the MAZE procedure on Mike. Because his case was so complex, Dr. Malik assisted Dr. Huber in the operating room.

“With cases like Mike’s, after I have completed the MAZE ablation, Dr. Malik will perform inter-operative electrical mapping. During this procedure, Dr. Malik inserts a specially designed catheter into the heart to test the electrical activity where the irregular arrhythmia was occurring to ensure that the ablation was successful,” explained Dr. Huber.

“Dr. Huber told me I could expect my heart to continue to have A-Fib episodes after the surgery while it was recovering,” said Mike. “One week after returning home I felt the moment my heart went back into a normal rhythm, and it has never gone back out since then.

“I am amazed at how much this surgery has changed my quality of life. The atrial fibrillation kept me from enjoying my favorite past times like hunting and fishing. My wife and I are also big supporters of our four grandchildren at all of their sporting games. Unfortunately, I had to miss most of their games because my health would not allow it,” said Mike.

Mike is also a member of the 2nd Chance Ministries gospel quartet. Prior to the MAZE procedure, he did not have the breath to sing and had to stop performing. Today, Mike is happy to report that he is back on the road again with the group.

“I am very thankful to Dr. Om, Dr. Malik and Dr. Huber for being those instruments in God’s hands that not only changed my life but saved it,” said Mike. “Throughout the many office visits and bedside care in the hospital, I found a sincere compassion from them that I will never forget.

“They had a strong determination to ‘help me get better’ even in light of a case that was as difficult as mine. And, they ALWAYS had words of encouragement. I am forever grateful to each one of them. I love them for caring about me. I cannot say enough about the great team at McLeod,” added Mike.

For patients like Mike, the McLeod Heart and Vascular Institute provides the most comprehensive and sophisticated heart care for patients from the midlands to the coast. Dedicated to extraordinary cardiovascular care, McLeod is one of the top hospitals in the nation for cardiac and vascular care, according to the most recent hospital ratings by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. These top honors include the 2016 Cardiac Care Excellence Award, 2016 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award and Top 5% in the Nation for Cardiology Services.