South Florida doctors have pioneered procedures in treating damaged heart valves
Dr. Jose Navia at Cleveland Clinic Florida replaced or repaired four damaged heart valves at once on Demetria Seymour. Dr. Joseph Lamelas at UHealth developed ‘The Miami Method’ to treat valve disease.
With heart disease theeart leading cause of death in the United States, two cardiologists in South Florida have developed innovative valve procedures that are saving lives.
Dr. Jose Navia, chairman of cardiothoracic surgery and director of Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Heart and Vascular Center, recently performed what is believed to be the first known surgery where a doctor replaced or repaired four damaged heart valves at once.
The patient was 32year-old Demetria Seymour from the Bahamas. Born with a heart murmur, she was never able to play sports, walk long distances or be in the sun too long without feeling weak.
Last year, she developed endocarditis, a life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the inner lining of the heart’s chambers and valves. She became very ill and her heart began to fail.
Seymour was airlifted to Cleveland Clinic Florida in cardiogenic and septic shock, the worst case of endocarditis Navia had seen in his 20 years at Cleveland Clinic.
“I felt like that was it, that’s what I was feeling,” Seymour said through tears in a video provided by Cleveland. “I was not able to do anything for myself, for my kids, not able to work. The pain. The frustration.”
The surgery took about five hours, with Navia and his team performing a Hemi-Commando, a procedure he pioneered. He replaced two of the valves with valves from a cadaver and he repaired two others.
“These state-of-the-art approaches are often the only treatment options for patients with these complex medical problems,” Navia said.
CAUSES OF ENDOCARDITIS
Endocarditis affects 2 to 5% of the population and typically involves one to three valves. The heart has four valves — one for each chamber of the heart (the right atrium, the left atrium, the right ventricle, the left ventricle). The valves keep blood moving through the heart, in the right direction.
Those at risk of endocarditis include persons with congenital heart defects, such as a heart murmur, implanted heart devices or other procedures, poor dental health, and history of illicit drug abuse or long-term IV use.
Seymour spent a month in recovery after the surgery.
“It’s amazing and rewarding for me to see the patient live, go home and come back to see me well,” Navia said. “For me, providing another solution and being able to fix the problem is satisfying to my soul.”
Now back in the Bahamas, Seymour is playing softball and running the bases for the first time. She will need regular check-ups for life, including labs, echocardiograms and EKGs, but for the most part, she can live a normal life.
“I feel like a whole new person,” Seymour said “I can go to the playground with my [three] kids and I couldn’t do that before. I can watch my son play basketball and shoot hoops with him.”
‘THE MIAMI METHOD’ TO TREAT DAMAGED HEART VALVES
At the University of Miami Health System (UHealth), Dr. Joseph Lamelas, chief and program director of cardiac surgery, pioneered a valve procedure he coined “The Miami Method.” The procedure is a minimally invasive technique to surgically treat single or multiple cardiac valve disease, replace the ascending aorta, repair congenital defects, remove intra-cardiac tumors and perform arrhythmia surgery.
“My goal in pioneering this method was to be able to offer my patients better outcomes with the least amount of trauma to the body and heart,” said Lamelas. “Other specialties had already taken the lead on this type of approach, and I believed that the field of cardiac surgery should not be left behind and needed to be at the forefront.”
Lamelas performs approximately five to seven mitral valve repairs and/ or replacements each week. His approach has a quicker recovery period, leading to reduced risk of infection and complications. It’s especially promising for high-risk patients who otherwise have limited surgical treatments.
Under his leadership, UHealth recently received the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes resulting from evidence-based, guideline-directed degenerative mitral valve repair.
Throughout his career, he has performed more than 17,000 cardiac surgeries, 9,000 of which have employed a minimally invasive approach. He’s also trained more than 1,000 physicians in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
“This is truly a team effort, and we are proud to be able to offer our patients the best possible outcomes in their journey to better heart health,” Lamelas said.