Surgeon performs 'beating heart' transplant, 1st of its kind in Westchester County
VALHALLA, Westchester County (WABC) -- Ricardo Acuna has a simple message for the organ donor who gave him a second chance at life.
"Thank you for the new heart," he said.
The 62 year old is the beneficiary of a first-of-its-kind surgery in the Hudson Valley.
During a 4-hour procedure in early April, cardiac surgeon Dr. Suguru Ohira performed a "beating heart" transplant at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
A mechanically beating heart is kept warm during transport and throughout the complex surgery, and that takes a high level of coordination and teamwork.
"During the surgery, you need... you need more experience to implant the heart," said Ohira.
"The more healthy the heart is at the time of the surgery, the better they do in the first hours," said Dr. Alan Gass, director of cardiac transplantation at Westchester. "And that translates into our ability to get them off the ventilator or any pumps that they are on."
And all that helps to expedite Ricardo Acuna's recovery.
His fiance is absolutely amazed at the difference she sees before and after the surgery.
"The man that 7 months ago was sitting down, not moving, not doing anything - to what he is today? He's my Ricardo from 30-years ago," said Ana DeLeon.
Nurse Practioner Bincy Abraham has cared for numerous transplant patients over the past 5 years.
With Mr. Acuna, she saw a significant difference.
"The function of the heart was excellent from the get-go," she told Eyewitness News. "His hospitalization was very short compared to patients who did not undergo this procedure."
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