Augusta resident Darren Bell, who has struggled with congestive heart failure since 2005, received the gift of new life when Piedmont Hospital cardiovascular surgeon David Dean, M.D., performed a lifesaving heart transplant for Bell Aug. 3, after months of waiting on the transplant list.
He is the 18th heart transplant recipient in Georgia this year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last November, Bell noticed his symptoms of shortness of breath, swelling and fatigue were getting worse and went to Piedmont’s Advanced Heart Failure Center in Atlanta for a full evaluation.
“When Darren came to us, his heart wasn’t able to meet the demands of his body,” said Nirav Raval, M.D., medical director of the heart transplant program at Piedmont. “We put a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in him and he got stronger, gained muscle and became nutritionally sound. So, he was better off when the time came for his transplant.”
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