Fourth Chance at Life - Winthrop University Hospital

Winter/Spring • 2011Fourth Chance at Life(continued from cover)Despite being a very high-risk surgicalcandidate, as this would be Sergei’sfourth time undergoing surgery, he wastaken to Winthrop’s operating room onOctober 22, 2010 under the direction ofDr. Schubach, along with his colleaguescardiothoracic surgeons John A. Goncalves,Jr., MD, and William Kokotos, MD,where both his aortic and mitral valveswere replaced with mechanical valves.Although the cardiac portion of theoperation went well, Sergei developedintra-abdominal bleeding,which required exploration withthe assistance of George Hines,MD, Winthrop’s Chief ofVascular Surgery. The days andweeks following the surgery werevery difficult – Sergei returned tothe operating room twice so thatdoctors could re-explore bleedingin the abdomen before ultimatelyclosing it.Despite the magnitude of theprocedure and the ensuing complications,Sergei made a dramaticrecovery thanks to the world-class care hereceived from an outstanding team ofdoctors, nurses and physician assistants inWinthrop’s cardiac and surgical intensivecare units.“Sergei’s remarkable recovery is atestament to Winthrop’s ability to successfullymanage such a complex casewhile delivering the best possible resultsto the patient,” said Dr. Schubach.The compassionate and state-of-theartcare delivered by Winthrop’s expertteam as well as Sergei’s perseverance inthe fight for his life certainly paid off. Apost-operative echocardiogram revealedexcellent function of both of the newlyplaced valves and no intra-abdominalproblems related to his intra-operativebleeding, and Sergei was dischargedfrom Winthrop on November 18, 2010.As he continued on his journeytowards a full recovery, Sergei and hisfather were fortunate to stay in TheRonald McDonald House of LongIsland, where they were visited daily byMr. Yurieff and Arkadiy Bogatyryov,Winthrop Cardiovascular Specialist andnative of Russia who not only played animportant role in Sergei’s care, but developeda special bond with the boy and hisfather during their time at Winthrop.“From translating from English toRussian and explaining medical issues,to bringing them home-cooked Russianmeals to comfort them during the longhospitalization, I was more than happyto help Sergei and Oleg in any way possible,”said Mr. Bogatyryov.Just days before the father and sonbegan their long journey back to Russia,Sergei and Oleg returned to Winthropto express their heartfelt thanks during aspecial Thanksgiving luncheon that theHospital hosted in their honor.“I was really struck by how caringthe doctors and all the staff at Winthropare. It was obvious to me that apart fromSergei Massaev (above, front row, fourthfrom left) and his father Oleg (back row,second from left) developed special bondswith Winthrop’s cardiac team and all of thecaregivers in the Surgical Intensive CareUnit on 4 North.being very professional, everyone trulycared about me,” said Sergei through atranslator. “We thank God that we foundThe Russian Gift of Life and were able tocome to the U.S. and that the doctorshere at Winthrop saved my life.”“As a member of the Board ofDirectors, I am proud of the way thatWinthrop-University Hospital stepped upto take on such an exceptionally difficultcase,” said Theodora Hooton, who wasinvolved in the early discussions regardingSergei’s case. “I am thankful to all of themembers of the Winthrop team, especiallyDr. Schubach and Dr. Marzo, for thetireless hours of care they provided toSergei, and it gives me great joy to knowthat it turned out to be such a success.”Today, Mr. Bogatyryov remains inclose contact with Sergei and Oleg viatelephone and a popular social networkingwebsite, and is happy to report justhow remarkable the young man is doing.“Sergei is walking three miles a dayand feels great! He is truly grateful forthe care he received at Winthrop that haschanged his life,” he said.For additional information aboutcutting-edge cardiac services at Winthrop,call 1-866-WINTHROP. ■Cornerstone 19