CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio grandfather is living with no heartbeat or pulse, but somehow completing regular tasks each day and thriving.
He’s being kept alive thanks to a device called an "LVAD".
It helps pump blood through his body, as he awaits a heart transplant in the future.
He says every single day is a blessing.
Robert Kline is thrilled to be around his family after nearly losing his life to heart failure.
Every morning he is making a fashion statement, with one key accessory, whether he intends to or not.
"The day-to-day starts with choosing the fanny pack, yes," Kline said.
Before he even steps foot out of his home, the 50-year-old grandfather proudly straps on a fanny pack.
Each is eye-catching, color popping, and multi-purposeful.
"Guys don't match to begin with so I just go with whatever I feel like wearing, these two here are more for yard work," Kline said.
Sometimes he even matches with his beloved grandson Legend.
But what’s inside is actually keeping him alive.
It carries his Left Ventricular Assist Device batteries for the mechanical heart pump he wears each day.
"I have a control module which is what the cable is, and the cable goes inside my stomach area," Kline said.
The self-proclaimed "Granddad with an LVAD" underwent the life-altering experience several months back.
It all started in December 2020 when he and his family tested positive for COVID-19 just before Christmas.
He never quite caught his breath afterward.
What he thought were lingering side effects from the virus and anxiety from life changes of a big move to his new home and the future birth of his grandson continued to be an issue.
"We chalked it up to stress. You know not being able to sleep, not having energy, not being able to breathe," Kline said.
By August it got worse—he went for an EKG and was ultimately rushed to Akron General Hospital for nearly a week where doctors determined he had congestive heart failure.
"My dad passed away at 54 years old. So, I thought I wasn't gonna be around to see my grandson and ya know, I'm gonna leave my family," Kline said.
Rehab and medicine did not work—so doctors suggested an LVAD as his heart was pumping at just 15% capacity.
Without hesitation, he underwent the procedure at the Cleveland Clinic.
"Someone who qualifies for this is someone who has exacerbated all their options for medical therapy. And the heart pump does exactly what it says. It's a Left Ventricular Assist Device, a mechanical pump that's powered by batteries," said Dr. Karlee Hoffman, Advanced Heart Failure Cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic.
The day Kline's heart stopped, it never beat again.
The LVAD was doing all the work for him.
Kline says it was a miraculous turn of events.
He was breathing again with no brain fog.
"I woke up in the ICU and just had so much clarity because before that I had none," Kline said.
He's now on the mend doing what he loves, with those he loves—like enjoying walks with his wife and watching his grandson.
"I feel so amazing. I'm so happy to be alive cause it allows me to be with my family which is most important to me," Kline said.
"Not only has it improved his quality of life and improved his longevity, but he's also thriving. You know, he's not just surviving anymore," Hoffman said.
Kline will eventually undergo a heart transplant in the future, but the LVAD is keeping him alive.
He’s an advocate for the device.
As for if there is a link between COVID-19 and heart failure, Hoffman said it's really hard to say at this point, and more research is needed.
There are a lot of causes for heart failure.
As you get older—the burden of a diagnosis increases with age, she said.
For a 50-year-old it's very rare.
"What we do know at this point is that if you have a diagnosis of heart failure, anything can exacerbate that presentation and your symptom burden," Hoffman said.
