The networking operation between the Hospital da Luz units in Aveiro, Coimbra and Oiã enabled to diagnose, perform an emergency surgery and save a 72-year patient suffering from a serious infection of the heart caused by bacteria. “I was successfully treated and handled with much care, which is highly important, particularly in these delicate situations”, describes José Oliveira to the newspaper “Diário de Aveiro”, that published an article on the subject. About two months ago, and because he was already for a while “with a fever that wouldn’t go away”, José Oliveira decided to see a doctor and he went to Hospital da Luz Oiã , which was the nearest to his residence. There, he was referenced to Hospital da Luz Aveiro , where he was admitted as inpatient and carried out specific exams that allowed to confirm the situation of urgency: mitral endocarditis (an infection of the heart caused by bacteria lodged there). “We carried out a transesophageal echocardiogram and detected a deterioration in the mitral valve functioning, with an evolution that clearly indicated the need of surgery”, explains Ana Dias , the clinical director of Hospital da Luz Aveiro. In face of the risk of stroke and acute cardiac insufficiency, the clinical team decided to proceed to an emergency cardiac surgery in the unit of Coimbra. “ The integration of Hospital da Luz Aveiro in the referral network of Hospital da Luz Coimbra – that counts with services of cardiology and cardiac surgery including highly differentiated clinical teams, as well as an Intensive Care Unit – made it possible to take the decision quickly and timely, in order to solve this clinical situation”, stresses Ana Dias. “During the surgery, it was detected destruction of part of the mitral valve by the infection and the associated engagement of the aortic valve. After removing all the infected material, it was possible to repair both valves, without resorting to prosthetic material”, explains Gonçalo Coutinho , the surgeon that operated José Oliveira at Hospital da Luz Coimbra . “This case is a paradigm of the good articulation and response existing between the units of Luz Saúde group, which allowed to treat in a swift manner a complex situation, often implying mortality and morbidity”, he concluded. After being discharged, José Oliveira completed his treatment at Hospital da Luz Oiã , close to home. His case is an example of how team work between the units of Hospital da Luz network, this time in the Central region, allows access to differentiated techniques of diagnosis and therapeutics, promoting higher efficacy and success in the treatment of patients, with a prompt response to the different demands. In the photo above , José Oliveira and the surgeon Gonçalo Coutinho. “I was handled with much care, which is highly important, particularly in these delicate situations” (PDF 211 Kb)
