No pain. No pressure. No dizziness. No discomfort.
Russ Wolpert experienced none of these symptoms the day he arrived at the emergency room for life-saving surgery. Yet he knew something was wrong because of a flag on his Hello Heart app.
Russ, a retired federal employee from the Veterans Administration, had recently been diagnosed with first-degree heart block and a small aneurysm, although neither required treatment. Thinking of the long life he wanted to share with his wife, he decided to take advantage of Hello Heart, a free benefit provided by his insurance company.
"I didn’t think I had any heart problems, but I got one for me and my wife," Russ shared.
The pair made it a habit to take their blood pressure with their connected Hello Heart monitors nearly every day. For months, the app showed no cause for concern—until April 2024.
"I noticed it was showing irregular heartbeats," Russ said.
He mentioned these irregularities during a routine cardiology appointment with his nurse practitioner. While his treadmill stress test revealed no issues, Russ’s Hello Heart data told a different story. When he showed the nurse practitioner his report, she ordered an EKG on the spot. The results were alarming.
"She told me, 'I said you were healthy, but that’s changed now.'"
Russ’s irregular heartbeats indicated a third-degree heart block, a severe condition where the heart’s electrical signals are completely blocked, and do not pass from the upper chambers of the heart to the lower ones. This condition causes the heart to beat out of sync, leading to insufficient blood flow and a risk of heart failure or even death. The nurse practitioner insisted he go straight to the ER.
"I thought to myself, ‘If I need a pacemaker, I’ll get one, but I want to be sure this isn’t a false alarm.’" Russ said. "But when the ER confirmed the diagnosis with a second EKG, I knew it was serious."
The next morning, surgeons installed a pacemaker to regulate Russ’s heart. A day later, he was home—and just a week later, he and his wife were climbing sand dunes during a planned trip to Traverse City, Michigan.
A Journey to Diagnosis
Russ’s journey began in 2023 when a routine upper GI procedure uncovered an issue. After receiving a sedative, Russ struggled to wake up, with his heart rate dropping into the 30s. Alarmed, his wife urged him to see a cardiologist, who identified a small aneurysm. While his first annual retest showed the aneurysm hadn’t grown, his Hello Heart app revealed the hidden danger of his irregular heartbeats.
"I had no symptoms. I felt fine," Russ explained. "But heart disease can be a silent killer."
Life After Surgery
Today, Russ continues to monitor his heart health with Hello Heart. “I measure my pulse rate and blood pressure just about every day,” he said. “I feel good about myself, but now I’m more informed. I know I have a condition, but it’s under control.”
He remains active, working part-time at a funeral home, where he helps families set up for services. "It’s rewarding work that keeps me physically active," he said.
Russ shares his story with friends, urging them to proactively monitor their heart health. “I tell them my story and that even though I didn’t have symptoms, I was in danger of dying.”
At nearly 75 years old, Russ is back to his routine, enjoying life with his wife and keeping up with his children and grandkids.
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1. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed October 19, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https:/www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
2. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021- Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-fundedemployer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
