Joseph Lamelas, M.D. is the Chief and Program Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Miami Health System. For more information about Dr. Lamelas and minimally invasive aortic valve replacement, click here or visit the UHealth blog.
MEET JUAN QUESADA:
Juan Quesada was born with a heart defect that caused an aortic aneurysm. In 2013, world-renowned cardiac surgeon, Joseph Lamelas, M.D., used a minimally invasive procedure to fix this life-threatening condition.
āWe knew that at one point, my aortic valve needed to be replaced,ā says Juan.
When Juan started having shortness of breath nine years later, he knew exactly where to go ā to Dr. Lamelas at UHealth.
āThe first time I did his operation, I replaced the ascending aorta through a minimally invasive approach,ā Dr. Lamelas says. āThen he needed a re-operation for his aortic valve, so I did the operation through the same exact minimally invasive approach to replace the aortic valve.ā
āDoctor, your minimally invasive techniques are better for a patientās recovery, but this is still a big surgery, right?ā asks anchor Pam Giganti.
āPsychologically, they progress a lot quicker because they donāt feel that theyāve had a big operation, which in fact, they did have a big operation, but it was done with techniques that are lesser invasive. That reflects not only in the outcomes, but in the recovery, as well,ā says Dr. Lamelas.
Juan had his surgery on Jan. 10. He was home in less than a week.
āTo be able to walk out of the hospital in three or four days, thatās amazing,ā Juan says.
Juan is celebrating his new lease on life. He says never ignore symptoms and if you need heart surgery, there is only one answer.
āDr. Lamelas! Heās the only one. Heās the only one for me,ā says Juan.
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
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