Former Marathon Runner Celebrates the Victory of His Life at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital's Cardiac Surgery Program's 25th Anniversary Celebration

Monday, May 12, 2008

New Brunswick, NJ – As a former marathon runner, Readington resident Bob Kloss knows a little about facing challenges and succeeding against the odds. But nothing could have prepared him for the catastrophic heart ailment that nearly took his life 20 years ago.

Kloss, who was 35 at the time, was training to run his second New York City marathon by running 10 miles a day, seven days a week and was in the best shape of his young life. It was one month before the marathon when things went horribly wrong for Kloss as he arrived for work.

“I felt like someone had just grabbed my chest and at the same time I was soaking wet with sweat,” Kloss recalled. “I went to the restroom, looked in the mirror and noticed that I was completely gray.”

What Kloss didn’t know was that he had just suffered a severe tear in his aorta due to a rare, genetic connective tissue disorder. The tear allowed blood to flow into the sack surrounding the heart muscle, compressing it severely and preventing the heart from pumping blood to other parts of Kloss’ body. Left untreated, the compression eventually would have stopped the heart from beating.

He survived the ordeal thanks to the quick action of his company’s nurse, a company doctor and the team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). Kloss will be among the former patients who will celebrate their health at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s Stories from the Heart Cardiac Surgery Program Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, May 17, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the hospital’s Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard.

The event will mark the 25th anniversary of the cardiac surgery program at RWJUH and feature stories from past patients as well as information from physicians and surgeons on the latest advances in cardiac surgery and care.

Fortunately for Kloss, when he suffered his attack, the company nurse knew that he needed immediate help and called emergency personnel.

“She called for an ambulance and I was taken to the hospital right away,” Kloss said. “I must have been there for 30-45 minutes and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. The nurse from work called our company doctor to the hospital and he determined what it was immediately. He had me transferred to Robert Wood Johnson (University Hospital).”

Once at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), Kloss was examined by Peter Scholz, MD, FACS, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at RWJUH; James W. Mackenzie Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Following an angiogram, doctors determined that Kloss experienced a significant tear in his aorta and needed nylon graft surgery right away.

“Bob came to us with a pulse-less leg, which is a typical symptom in these cases,” Dr. Scholz noted. “In the first 24 hours after something like this occurs there is a 15 percent mortality rate. Within the first three months, 90 percent are dead.”

Because of the catastrophic nature of the tear, Kloss’ young age and otherwise good health, Dr. Scholz suspected that the aorta had a genetic defect. He recommended that Kloss be tested as part of a study in which the hospital was participating. The tests confirmed what Dr. Scholz suspected: Kloss had a rare genetic defect of the connective the tissue which caused his aorta to stretch, wear thin and eventually tear over time.

Doctors reached their conclusion after completing a biopsy on skin collected from beneath Kloss’ arm. The biopsy revealed a subtle defect in Kloss’ connective tissue.

Although it has no name, doctors believe that the tissue disorder is loosely related to Marfan’s Syndrome, the same genetic condition that claimed the life of United States Olympic volleyball player Florence Hyman in 1986.

“I was 35 years old, in great shape and I had a three-month-old son, my first thought was, why me?” Kloss said. “I was angry about what happened, but as time went on I began to realize how lucky I was to survive this and survive in relatively good health. Many others are not so lucky and even if they do survive, they may lose the use of some of their limbs or suffer brain damage.”

Fortunately for Kloss’ two children, who are now 18 and 20, they do not appear to have the same genetic defect. As for Kloss, he returns to RWJUH on a regular basis for follow-up care and tests. He has even resumed running—in moderation.

“Many times I think that had it not been for this hospital, my son would have lost his father at just three months old and my daughter never would have been born,” Kloss said. “I’m very thankful today.”

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

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