Mathew Dominguez

The Ride of His Life

Expert Heart & Vascular Team at TMH Saves Cyclist Visiting From Virginia

For most travelers, the itinerary rarely includes plans for a medical emergency. However, for a cyclist from Suffolk, Virginia, a visit to Tallahassee is one he will never forget after a life-threatening illness left him in the hands of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH).

The Flu Spirals Into Something Bigger

As an athletic 34-year-old who has biked across the country, Mathew Dominguez isn’t someone you’d think would get “taken down” by the flu. However, during his spring 2024 trip to Tallahassee to ride the rolling hills, Mathew got critically ill and needed to be admitted to TMH for the virus.

TMH doctors quickly discovered Mathew’s condition was complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which caused inflammation of his lungs, resulting in both lungs filling with fluid. Because of ARDS, Mathew’s lungs began to fail, making them unable to oxygenate his blood correctly. Mathew went from being a healthy athlete to facing a grim prognosis, all while being far away from home.

ECMO Is the Answer

Fortunately for Mathew, TMH had an expert care team ready to fight for him. When traditional treatments proved ineffective, Pulmonologist Carlos E. Campo, MD, and Interventional Cardiologist Pablo A. Rengifo-Moreno, MD, turned to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or ECMO, a life-saving technology.

ECMO acts like an external heart and lung, taking over these functions when the organs struggle, allowing them to rest and heal without the burden of supporting the body. By providing oxygenated blood to other organs, ECMO prevents a domino effect of organ failure.

Mathew’s family rushed to Tallahassee to be by his side.

“He was on heavy oxygen when we arrived.” Mathew’s mother, Karen Dominguez, said. “The next morning, he was placed on a ventilator and within an hour, he was on ECMO. They didn’t waste any time.”

Mathew was placed in a medically induced coma and on ECMO for nine days to give his lungs a chance to recover.

“Dr. Campo’s work of quickly determining that other treatments were not going to be effective was particularly critical,” said Dr. Rengifo-Moreno. “ECMO is not a first step treatment, but the outcomes with it are better the sooner we can determine that it is necessary. The more we wait to implement ECMO, the greater the risk that other organs, like the kidneys and liver, will start to fail.”

A Team Effort for a Special Case

Mathew was a unique patient for the team at TMH; he was only the second person that completed a full range of care at TMH on ECMO since receiving the technology in 2016.

That’s because TMH has two ECMO machines – a primary and a backup. When a patient is placed on ECMO, they are typically transferred to a larger health system to complete treatment, allowing TMH to keep their machines available should another patient need emergency treatment.

However, since Mathew was from another state, insurance hurdles that prevented him from being safely transferred to an accepting hospital. TMH’s team of specialists determined that Mathew would have the best outcome if he completed his ECMO treatment from start to finish at TMH.

Mathew’s treatment required a large team working round the clock consisting of his physicians, Drs. Campos and Rengifo-Moreno, as well as, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, critical care intensivists, cath lab technologists and perfusionists. This group worked together closely to make sure Mathew would see a full recovery.

One team member, Nikki Faulkner, RN, BSN, discovered a personal connection with Mathew. "Taking care of Mathew during his critical care stay on ECMO felt especially close to home," shared Nikki, who hails from Chesapeake, Virginia, a neighboring city to Suffolk. "It's incredibly gratifying to be part of the team that helped him get back on his bike."

Back on the Road

Without ECMO, Mathew could have lost his life within days. However, thanks to this innovative technology and the expertise of his large care team, he was able to walk out of the hospital after three weeks.

“I was relieved to leave the hospital, but that’s when things became real,” Mathew remembers.

Mathew was used to riding his bike on 100-mile trips, but when he began his recovery back home in Virginia, he had difficulty even walking without a cane. He worked hard to heal, and after a month, he could finally ride two miles.

“It was the hardest two miles of my life,” said Mathew, “but it really felt good.”

Now Mathew has worked up to riding his bike five hours a week. “I had to really relearn everything,” he added, “but I feel great. Every day I feel stronger.”

Mathew also has a newfound appreciation for life, sharing that his illness and recovery put things into perspective. “I’m more mindful of my health and learned to prioritize it,” Mathew said. “I also have a greater understanding of the mindset of people with health problems and greater empathy for charitable causes that I ride for, like the Great Cycle Challenge and the American Heart Association. And I’m incredibly grateful for the awesome care I received at TMH.”

Learn more about the region’s heart and vascular leader at TMH.ORG/Heart.