Family Man and Executive Resumes his Active Lifestyle After Recovering from Viral Myocarditis 

Tim Schuckman is a chief commercial officer from Cincinnati, OH. In October 2024, at the age of 46, Tim was in the best shape of his life and recently completed an iron man competition. After he was diagnosed with a virus, he contracted pneumonia, and began experiencing shortness of breath, swelling in his legs and lethargy. When his symptoms did not improve, he went to Mercy Health – Mason Primary Care where tests revealed his ejection fraction was five percent and he was in cardiogenic shock, likely due to viral myocarditis. Tim was transported by helicopter to Mercy Fairfield where Dr. Christopher Mahida recognized both sides of his heart were failing and implanted the Impella CP and Impella RP heart pumps to provide biventricular support to allow his heart to rest. Since he was a candidate for a heart transplant, he was transferred to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Tim’s medical team recognized his heart needed more support, and they escalated his left ventricular support to the Impella 5.5 heart pump, along with VV-ECMO to provide oxygenation to his lungs. While on Impella support, he was able to ambulate and walk the ICU floor. Tim’s heart function began to improve and he was weaned off ECMO and Impella support. After spending over a month in the hospital, he returned home to his family.

Today, Tim has a normal ejection fraction (55%) and he’s regained his strength and competitive spirit. He has returned to work full-time, vacationed with his family and completed a 10K charity road race.

As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. There are potential risks, these risks need to be discussed with your doctor and recovery takes time. The success of this procedure depends on many factors, including your physical condition and your body’s ability to tolerate the procedure. Use care in the selection of your doctors and hospital, based on their skill and experience.