Brent Gardner of Rigby is sure that he was a couple of weeks away from death when he received the first TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair performed at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC). The 64-year-old, who had retired from his career in government security at the age of 56 because of heart issues, had already received an aortic valve replacement and a pacemaker. In November 2024, after recently passing a cardiac stress test, he went elk hunting in Wyoming with his kids. But the trip was cut short because Brent was in such distress that his kids drove him directly to the emergency room at EIRMC, where the chest pain center and primary stroke center provide the highest levels of care during emergencies, including heart attacks and strokes.
A diagnosis of tricuspid regurgitation (TR)
In addition to chest pain, Brent was experiencing stomach pain, constipation and fatigue. His abdomen was swollen and he’d quickly gained 30 pounds from fluid retention. Doctors initially thought his issues were gastro-related, but testing did not confirm that.
“It was frustrating because each doctor kept sending me to another doctor,” Brent says. This is often true for many patients because heart and stomach issues can have overlapping symptoms, which is why thorough testing is required for proper diagnosis and treatment.
As the focus shifted back to Brent’s heart as the culprit, his pacemaker revealed that he’d been in AFib (atrial fibrillation, an abnormally fast heartbeat), since October. His heart was shocked back into a normal rhythm, which lasted only a week. Brent would need an ablation to help fix the issue. Meanwhile, 5.5 liters of fluid were removed from his stomach.
Judy, Brent’s wife, says that by early 2025, he couldn’t breathe and was on oxygen 24/7. He had no energy, slept most of the day, couldn’t walk and needed round-the-clock care.
“I felt like I was going to die,” Brent says. “Then, the right doctor looked at my echocardiogram and found the problem.”
Judy says it was Douglas Blank, MD, who diagnosed Brent’s tricuspid regurgitation (TR), also known as tricuspid insufficiency. TR is a type of heart valve disease in which the valve between the two right heart chambers doesn’t close as it should, causing blood to flow backward through the valve into the upper right chamber. Like many TR patients, Brent was not a good candidate for surgery. But without intervention, Brent felt his days were numbered.
Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for TR at EIRMC
Dr. Blank told Brent that he needed “the clip,” a new, nonsurgical treatment that could help patients with severe, symptomatic TR for whom surgery was too risky. TriClip is the only device designed specifically to decrease regurgitation of the tricuspid valve. But no one at EIRMC had ever done the procedure. The closest hospital that had performed it was in Utah.
“We knew he wouldn’t make it to Utah,” Judy says. “And then Dr. Blank said he knew a colleague at Idaho Heart Institute, Dr. Hiendlmayr, who could do it. Dr. Hiendlmayr told us Brent was an ideal candidate for the clip procedure.”
Brett Hiendlmayr, MD, an interventional cardiologist, met with Brent and Judy before scheduling Brent’s procedure for mid-April.
“We appreciated that he didn’t oversell the outcome,” says Brent. “He gave us realistic expectations. I knew I wasn’t going to be playing soccer afterward, but I’m off oxygen and breathing better, I’ve lost 40 pounds and I can walk around and even work outside for a bit. The clip has made a huge, huge difference in my life.”
Brent received the clip on a Monday and was home on Tuesday.
“Brent is doing excellent,” Judy says. “It’s absolutely amazing. We had complete confidence in Dr. Hiendlmayr. Anybody who needs this done should come to EIRMC. The care is excellent. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. EIRMC has good nurses, good doctors and caring people. We are blessed and fortunate.”
“We’ve got some of the best doctors here. They are miracle workers,” says Brent. “Without them, I wouldn’t have made it two weeks. I especially want to thank Dan Hunting, a nurse practitioner, for spotting something in my echocardiogram that escalated my treatment. He helped care for me in 2016 when I had my valve replacement, and he’s just the most awesome guy to have around for encouragement and getting you through the rough spots.”
As the Gardners prepare to head to their ranch for a summer vacation, they’re thankful that Brent is around to spend more time with family.
“We’re living the good life,” says Brent.
Now able to imagine a future, Brent plans to have another device implanted at EIRMC to help manage his Afib and to be fit enough to join EIRMC’s cardiac rehab program.
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