Amkieh to consult on Mr. Keller’s case that first day. “We knew he was not going to go home. We had to work him up real fast and get him done.”
One of the first calls was to Ochsner cardiologist Dr. George Isa of Ochsner Health. He would be the lead surgeon in Mr. Keller’s case, working alongside Drs. Samy Abdelghani and Gregory Eckholdt, Ochsner specialists.
Because he was in such bad shape, Mr. Keller had to stay in the hospital for several days to get his body ready for surgery, under the supervision of Dr. Patel and others. But once the day arrived and the surgery was completed, things improved with remarkable speed.
“When Dr. Isa came out to talk to me after the procedure, he said, ‘The moment I got the stent and the new valve in place, his blood pressure immediately resumed to be normal,’” Mrs. Keller remembered. “That’s how quick this works. Now, the heart was in bad shape for being in that state that it was in for the months that he was suffering, but all it’s doing now is healing.”
On a recent July day, Mr. Keller was enjoying his spread off Lee Road, communing with Beaux, one of the Kellers’ horses, as well as a family of chattering woodpeckers that has adopted them. Both he and Mrs. Keller had nothing but praise for their doctors, nurses and everyone else at St. Tammany Health System and its partner since 2014, Ochsner Health.
“Man, I was blessed, there’s no doubt about that -- blessed with the right people,” Mr. Keller said. “It’s so much like a family at that hospital. It’s a family atmosphere, but also extremely technically competent.”
Mrs. Keller feels the same way.
“I could leave the hospital at night and know he would be well cared for,” she said.
When asked two months after her husband’s surgery what she’d say to his care team if given the chance, she responded: “I’d give them all a hug, which I do if I ever see them. Our hearts will be forever grateful to Dr. Patel, Karolina, Dr. Isa and his team.”
Both of the Kellers went on to rattle off a list of others to whom they feel indebted: Dr. Eckholt, Dr. Libeau Berthelot, Dr. John Angelo, nurse Brittany. The list goes on.
“The entire care team was phenomenal,” Mrs. Keller said. “They worked together with no egos. If one of them had a suggestion, they listened and they evaluated it for the best care of the patient. And that’s what makes you walk away happy and smiling and owing a debt of gratitude to these people. I know they say, ‘We’re just doing our job,’ but the way that they do it makes a big difference. They do it with great love. They do. … I thank everybody from the food team to the nurses to the cleanup team, people taking your temperature – everyone was so kind.”
That’s music to the ears of Dr. Patel, who said compassion and respect for patients has always been at the core of her practice – and who is proud of her association with St. Tammany Health System and its TAVR program.
“Mr. Keller has been a true success story. I think this gave him 10 to 20 more years,” Dr. Patel said. “And it’s right here at St. Tammany Health System. I’ve been in this community for 20 years, and nobody else is doing TAVR the way they are.”