HEART
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Treasure Coast Medical Report
Now that her heart is pumping better, Hales feels more
energetic and walks about 30 minutes every day. She was denying
herself sugar until Gage explained at a follow-up visit
that she could occasionally indulge in some sweet pleasures.
“He asked, ‘What do you eat?’” she recalls. “I said, ‘I try to
maintain a healthy diet, like oatmeal with flaxseed. But it’s
been hard because I haven’t had any sweets since the surgery.’
The doctor said, ‘Carol, he fixed you so you can enjoy
life — so enjoy life!’”
Right after that visit, Hales treated herself to a scrumptious
ice-cream dessert at a local restaurant.
Feeling stronger and fortunate today with her improved
health, Hales credits the medical team at Martin Health System
for her quick recovery.
“I feel very blessed,” she says. “I cannot say enough about
my care and treatment with Dr. McIntyre and the whole
TAVR team. Even the personnel in the hospital. They were
just wonderful, very caring. You hear about angels of mercy. I
think that depicts them.”
TURNING BACK PAIN TO HEART HEALTH
Judy Richman owns and runs her own real estate business,
selling commercial, residential, and oceanfront properties in
Cocoa Beach. To unwind from her busy schedule, the 81-yearold
likes to walk on the beach, swim, dine with friends and
sail on monthly cruises to the Caribbean.
“I keep active. To me, life is going to be short and you want
to enjoy what you can of it,” she says.
Declining health began to impact her activities about three
years ago. She progressively experienced back pain, shortness
of breath and exhaustion when she engaged in simple
physical activity.
“A lot of things changed,” she says. “Walking was difficult.
Climbing stairs was difficult. I couldn’t walk the beach anymore.
I was tired, so I just took it easy. I got myself a walker. I
attributed it all to my back, not even thinking I had problems
with my heart.”
She had an electrocardiogram (EKG) in January 2018
as part of preoperative tests to have cataract surgery. Dr.
Egerton Van Den Berg, her cardiologist in Orlando, noticed a
drastic change from her previous EKG test a year before. To
be sure, he arranged for Richman to have a heart catheterization.
The results revealed the source of her health problems.
“I had 91-percent blockage on one side; on the other side, I
had three blockages between 50 and 70 percent that needed
to be taken care of right away,” Richman says. “Then he told
me that I had stenosis of the aortic valve and I needed a valve
replacement.”
IT TAKES A TEAM
Like other TAVR programs on the Treasure Coast and
throughout the country, Indian River Medical Center offers
a heart team of trained, medical specialists who conduct a
comprehensive evaluation to see if a patient is a candidate for
TAVR. If approved, the team further collaborates and discusses
the best way to handle the patient’s treatment.
Richman arranged for Stowe to replace her heart valve.
“Every patient that’s selected for TAVR at IRMC is seen
by two cardiac surgeons and an interventional cardiologist,”
says the Vero Beach cardiovascular surgeon. “This careful
analysis of each patient’s case by a group of specialists with
different skill sets and clinical perspectives allows us to >>
Dr. Cary Stowe, a
cardiovascular surgeon
at Indian River Medical
Center, credits the heart
team approach as a key
to TAVR’s success.
INDIAN RIVER MEDICAL CENTER