HEART
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Treasure Coast Medical Report
with me,” he recalls. “I told the doctor, ‘Nobody is going to
cut me open at 90 years old.’ That settled that, and they went
with the new heart-valve procedure.”
As luck would have it, Lawnwood was just beginning their
TAVR program. Wigginton was ready to have the new procedure
and felt pretty confident that it would work.
“I don’t run from many things,” he says. “I’m not very
scared. I’m an old Marine.”
SAVING VET’S LIFE
Chalasani performed the operation, the first such surgery
on the Treasure Coast, and says he was excited, nervous and
especially gratified after it was successfully done.
Looking back on that first TAVR surgery, the interventional
cardiologist is not surprised by its success. He has personally
seen numerous times how this technology has changed lives.
“I’ve seen the fact that when patients come back for their
follow-up, they cope faster, their quality of life is better, and
they’re much happier than some of these people who go
through the whole process of open-heart surgery and bypass,”
he says.
Chalasani also points out that selecting the right patients
for the surgery is key in producing good outcomes.
“There are two things I have to improve — their quality
of life and their quantity of life,” he says. “To me, they need
to be able to sign a consent that means they are cognitively
reasonable.”
Wigginton was released from Lawnwood within one day
of his surgery. He says he felt good and had no pain when he
returned home. It wasn’t too long afterwards that he resumed
the activities that he enjoys.
“I do whatever I want to, when I want to,” he asserts. “My
whole life has been that way.”
Today, at 93, he still fixes up homes — setting tile, installing
cabinets and repairing electrical work. And his life would be
incomplete without his wife, Elwanda, of 72 years. Wigginton
still does the driving on family errands. He makes time to
play the harmonica for audiences at nursing homes and at
church. Mostly, he’s grateful to be living well and is enthusiastic
about spreading the good news of TAVR.
“I’d do it again if I had to do it. I sure would,” he says.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of because it sure beats being
cut open. No pain, no strain. It works.”
FATIGUE SIGNALS HEART PROBLEMS
Carol Hales of Okeechobee is a healthy 83-year-old who
stays active by spending time with her family and church
congregation, solving crossword puzzles and working on
the computer. As a two-time cancer survivor, she understands
the importance of having annual physical exams. At a
checkup in 2013, Dr. Maged Mehanni, a pulmonary specialist
in Okeechobee, detected that Hales may have aortic stenosis.
She then met with Dr. Joseph Gage, a cardiologist in Stuart,
who confirmed the diagnosis.
“They did all the tests that were necessary,” Hales remembers.
“Dr. Gage said, ‘I think it’s moderate, but we’re going to
watch it.’”
Her condition progressed gradually for about five years.
She initially ignored the symptoms of aortic stenosis, attributing
fatigue to her age. But over time, she became increasingly
tired to the point where she lacked energy to do simple tasks,
like walking in a store.
TAVR patients have an
easier recovery compared
to patients who have
open-heart surgery,
according to McIntyre.
>>
MARTIN HEALTH SYSTEM