A Second Heart Surgery: Ms. Gevi’s Bentall Procedure at Heartology

Ms. Gevi had known her heart care team for a long time. She had been their patient for about five years and had previously undergone aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. About a year and a half after that first operation, she needed heart surgery again, this time the Bentall procedure.

The First Symptoms

Her symptoms appeared after she returned from a trip to Ladakh, India, a mountainous region at about 5,400 meters above sea level. When walking a fair distance, she became short of breath. During a routine check-up with dr. BRM Ario Soeryo Kuncoro, Sp.JP (K), she had a CT scan. It showed a problem with her heart valve and widening of the aortic root, the first part of the main blood vessel leaving the heart.

The news left her shocked and unsettled, as it came only about a year and a half after her first operation. A second operation felt very frightening to her. “A dilation is like a time bomb, it could rupture at any time,” she said, describing her worry that the widened section could burst at any moment.

Choosing Care at Home

Ms. Gevi decided to have her second operation in Indonesia. She already knew her medical team, could communicate easily with the doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, and her family could stay close by. “We don't need to go abroad. We have to trust our doctor,” she said. Her doctors, she added, were very communicative and explained her condition in detail, as if giving a public lecture.

The Bentall procedure is open heart surgery that replaces the aortic valve and the widened aortic root with a single artificial tube containing a valve, then reattaches the coronary arteries to that tube. Ms. Gevi's operation was performed by the Heartology thoracic and cardiovascular surgery team. After talking with the medical team, she felt calmer about facing it.

Recovery and Advice for Other Patients

After surgery, Ms. Gevi was cared for in the ICU with support from the nurses, then had physiotherapy with the physiotherapy team. She felt that the team caring for her worked very closely together, something she considers important so that patients facing major surgery feel safe. When the video was recorded, she was back to her usual activities.

After two operations, Ms. Gevi has learned that patients need to take an active role. She suggests that you do your research, choose your doctor and hospital carefully, follow your doctor's instructions, and trust the team caring for you. “Patients shouldn't be passive patients,” she advised.