Maryland Heart Center

Patient Success Stories

Aortic Valve Bypass Patient Makes Amazing Recovery

Sylvan Naron, right, with his son Steven

After undergoing a rare aortic valve bypass procedure in May of 2007, Sylvan Naron is well on the road to recovery and looks forward to returning to the golf course to enjoy his favorite lifelong pastime. “I thought I would never play golf again. But now, I’m hoping to play within a couple of weeks,” said Naron, 87, who was told in March that he had less than two weeks to live. He completed his rehabilitation in August.

Naron’s son Steven says his father has had an “amazing” recovery. “It’s terrific, better than anybody said it would be. He’s gotten stronger in every way, and a lot faster that we predicted,” said Steven. “Given how bad he was before, it’s a real miracle.”

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It’s hard to believe that just a few months earlier, Naron was gravely ill, and told by doctors that he only had a short time to live.

In 2005, Naron had put off a recommended aortic valve operation to care for his wife, who had had a series of mini strokes. On March 24, 2007, Doris, his wife of 62 years, died. Two days later, Naron went to Baltimore for the memorial services but couldn’t attend because he was too sick. He went to see his family physician and received devastating news — he had less than two weeks to live. By then, his faulty aortic valve caused fluid to accumulate in his lungs and legs. The reduced flow of oxygenated blood made him extremely tired. He had also lost weight and strength.

He was hospitalized with a month-long recuperation to stabilize his condition and build up his strength with the hope that he could undergo surgery. Even with this effort, surgeons at both the University of Maryland Medical Center and a Baltimore County hospital felt that he was not healthy enough to survive standard aortic valve replacement.

To help Naron avoid the risks of valve replacement surgery, David Zimrin M.D., director of cardiac catheterization at the University of Maryland Medical Center and medical center cardiac surgeon James S. Gammie, M.D., developed a treatment approach that proved successful: provide temporary relief to the ailing aortic valve by performing a valvuloplasty, build up Naron’s strength, then perform an alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement surgery — aortic valve bypass surgery.

Naron and his family felt comfortable with this approach, as Steven recalls. “The University of Maryland was recommended to us. We liked Dr. Gammie and Dr. Zimrin, and there seemed to be more minimally invasive options at (the University of) Maryland.”

First, Dr. Zimrin and Peter A. Reyes, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, performed the valvuloplasty, a minimally invasive procedure in which a balloon attached to a thin, flexible tube or catheter opens the aortic valve, breaks through the calcium buildup and makes a larger space for blood to pass through.

Then, three weeks later, a team of UMMC cardiac surgeons, led by Dr. Gammie, performed the aortic valve bypass operation on May 22, 2007.

Once Naron left the hospital, he was sent to a nursing facility but released himself just 12 hours later, according to his son. Instead, Naron received rehabilitation services in his own apartment.

“He only stayed in the nursing facility for a few hours. He was able to do OK in his apartment right from the hospital which is pretty amazing,” said Steven. The rehabilitation lasted a little over a month. Then Naron started a supervised exercise program at the assisted living facility where he resides.

Now, says Naron, “I feel good. I walk with a cane, not a walker. I exercise every day on a stationery bike and I walk all around this place, including hills, and my voice is better than it was.”

Both father and son spoke highly of the doctors who performed the procedures.

“The doctors were great. They worked together terrifically. They were very interested and concerned, and it worked. My father came back from an amazing deficit,” said Steven, who credits both his father and the UMMC doctors for the successful outcome.

“Dad had an amazing amount of reserves, energy and enthusiasm to get this done the right way. That helped, but without things happening in the order they happened the outcome would not have been good,” Steven said. “It was like a 1-2-3 punch: The hospital stabilized my father, he worked hard until he was strong enough for valvuloplasty and then the doctors at the University of Maryland used the minimally invasive approach. It was impressive.”

Naron was also pleased with the outcome. “I think it’s terrific that I’m still around and that the doctors could do the operation,” he said. “Drs. Gammie and Zimrin are two great guys, and I like everything they did. They were both considerate and cheerful and it was a pleasure knowing both men. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

By Michelle W. Murray

This page was last updated on: October 25, 2007.

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