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Apheresis: A cholesterol treatment that saves lives
Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital gives new hope to a Long Island mother of three
For Salima Mohip, this will be a Mother’s Day like no other. Finally, the mother of three sons can anticipate a life that won’t be shortened by the genetic condition that caused her parents and two of her siblings to die in their 30s. Ms. Mohip, 51, of Elmont, LI, credits her new lease on life to her medical team at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital (SABHH) of Northwell Health.
With her sons by her side, the grateful mother returned to SAB for an early Mother’s Day celebration and to thank the doctors and nurses who provide the cutting-edge treatment known as apheresis that will extend her life. Apheresis — a technology that separates blood components to treat different conditions, including Ms. Mohip’s — is available in three hospitals in New York; SAB is the only facility on Long Island to provide this treatment option.
Ben Hirsh, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology, SABHH, explained, “We are here today because of Salima, who came to me because of a rare genetic disorder known as hypercholesterolemia that caused so many of her family members to pass away in their 30s.”
Dr. Hirsh placed Ms. Mohip on five different medications, all to no avail. “Despite all of these medications, her LDL (bad cholesterol) remained in the 190s and our goal was to bring it down to under 70,” he continued. “It was clear that she was a perfect candidate for apheresis, meaning that she would become the first patient to undergo this treatment on Long Island.”
Guy Mintz, MD, director of Cardiovascular Health and Lipidology, SAB, noted that Ms. Mohip is already showing signs of improvement after just three treatments.
Benjamin J. Hirsh, MD, shares the various medical interventions that can help to lower cholesterol levels.
Apheresis leads to quick improvement
“The potentially deadly disease that has proved so devastating to Salima’s family is known as hypercholesterolemia, an excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Cholesterol is a fat (also called a lipid) that the body needs to work properly. Too much bad cholesterol increases the chance of getting heart disease, stroke and other problems. When medications don’t work, as in Salima’s case, we can consider apheresis.
“Apheresis is an extracorporeal therapy, which means it happens outside the body, in which the patient’s blood is passed through an apparatus that filters out cholesterol and returns the cleansed blood back into the body,” said Dr. Mintz. “It is a rigorous treatment, lasting three-four hours at a time, every two weeks for the rest of one’s life. But the advantages to patients like Salima — less cholesterol, reduced inflammation and internal damage, and less risk of additional cardiac problems — make it a life-saving treatment option.”
A family matter
Because it is a genetic disorder, Ms. Mohip’s three sons have already shown dangerously high cholesterol levels in their blood. For this reason, they are also being followed by the team.
Ms. Mohip expressed her gratitude for the possibility of a longer life while acknowledging the loss of her loved ones to the same disease. Her own history with heart disease dates back over 20 years. In 2002, an angioplasty revealed that 95 percent of one artery was blocked. In 2014, she was rushed to Long Island Jewish Medical Center because she couldn’t breathe. That episode resulted in open-heart surgery.
“It was definitely bittersweet to begin these treatments last month,” said Ms. Mohip, “While I was sitting in the hospital having the procedure done, I couldn’t help but think of my parents and my siblings, all of who passed away so early because these treatments were not available to them.”
Mother's Day blessing
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Ms. Mohip’s three sons were on hand to present their mother with two dozen roses. Calling her a “fighter,” they wanted her to know that they support her courage during her health challenges and that they will work through it all as a family.
Flanked by her medical team and her three sons, Ms. Mohip said, “These are my blessings. I am so grateful.”
Northwell opened the first lipid center on Long Island in 2019—the first lipid center on Long Island. As part of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, it is focused on cardiac disease prevention and cholesterol management. The hospital was recently recognized as one of the nation’s top 50 hospitals for cardiology and heart surgery by US News and World Report.
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