Tomas Marrero, 76, from Hamilton Township, New Jersey, is an active person who enjoys boating and spending time with his family. But in his early 70s, the congestive heart failure (CHF) that he’d been living with for nearly 20 years started to become significantly worse and get in the way of the things he loved to do.

“I was in the hospital every two months,” says Tomas. He would be out of breath after just a few steps, and fluid filled his lungs. His doctors told him he had only about a year left to live. His daughter, Jocelyn Marrero Cabrera, wasn’t going to simply give up. She felt there had to be more options.

Better Options for Treating Congestive Heart Failure

Jocelyn took it upon herself to start researching CHF, other hospitals and treatment options for her dad. Through this research, she realized that her father’s symptoms didn’t match symptoms of someone in the final stage of CHF, and the aggressive treatment that was greatly limiting Tomas’s life wasn’t working. She finally came across something called Barostim.

“Barostim is a pacemaker-type device that is implanted on the carotid artery. It helps control heart rate and blood pressure,” says Deepak Singh, M.D. FACC, cardiac surgeon and director of the Mechanical Surgical Support Program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Barostim may be appropriate for patients who have been diagnosed with advanced heart failure who are not suited for treatment with other heart failure devices.

Because Barostim is a fairly new device, many people and even some physicians aren’t aware of the benefits it can provide. Jocelyn initially contacted the manufacturer of the device to see if Tomas would qualify for a clinical trial and learned the device was out of clinical trial phase. That inquiry eventually led her to make the trip to Jersey Shore and to Jesus Almendral, M.D., FACC, medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program.

After numerous tests, Dr. Almendral thought that Thomas would be a candidate for the Barostim device. “I thought that it could help relieve the symptoms and improve his quality of life,” Dr. Almendral says.

Back to Normal With Barostim Device

Dr. Singh performed the procedure in 2022 to implant the Barostim device. Since then, Tomas’ symptoms have practically disappeared. 

Tomas feels great and isn’t limited in his daily activities. “I do everything I can,” he says.

Dr. Almendral is also impressed with the results: “Tomas is doing much better. Last time we spoke, he was able to do more and his heart was not slowing him down.”

Jocelyn and Tomas believe it wasn’t just the Barostim device that made the difference, but also the entire team at Jersey Shore. “Everyone was in unison, from the doctors to the nurses to the administrative team members,” says Jocelyn, adding that previously, she and her father didn’t feel like they were heard at other hospitals.

“Patients often are apprehensive, so we take our time and listen. The most important things are open communication and making sure everything is patient-centered,” Dr. Singh says.

Next Steps & Resources:

• Meet our sources: Deepak Singh, M.D. FACC, and Jesus Almendral, M.D., FACC
• To make an appointment with a cardiologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
• Schedule a heart screening at a location near you.