Hollywood Star

This old gent was determined to need an Aortic Valve Replacement, secondary to reduction in Valve area and calcification. He had a pile of tests to support the suspected Diagnosis, and eventually qualified for TAVR. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement. If you don't know; at this time, it is reserved for those persons deemed too risky for open heart / sternotomy approach. This is most often as a result of comorbidities, frailty, old-age and the like.

So, he passed all of the prep tests and today was the day of the big event...................except, he didn't really need it after all.

They thought he needed a TAVR
But it just wasn't so,
He had 14 preparatory tests
And it was all systems go,
Coming in at 5 a.m....
When you're 91, that's a cinch,
And when they started his IV
He didn't even flinch.

Transported to the Hybrid Room
Anesthesia induction, was smooth as expected,
Every monitor known to modern surgery
Insured that he was protected,
From collapsing vital signs and hypothermia
Arrhythmia's, bleeding and more,
His Femoral arteries and veins were cannulated
With everything the Surgeons had in the store.

And then it was time, for the last Aortic measurements
Before they would load that valve on a wire,
Three or four Doctors, scratched their heads and wondered
How did we get to this place, where we call a ceasefire?
And admit to ourselves, that this fellow doesn't need it
The best thing to do, is to send him home today,
Let his family celebrate, wondrous good fortune
And pray to the heavens, there isn't a Copay.

A six hour recovery, that's all he needed
Sleeping the whole time, till he walked to the car,
At 91 years of age, this was another adventure
I think he just earned his Hollywood Star.

1/25/15