IBERIA PARISH — Judge Greg LeGros reunited with his care team at Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital after a life-altering heart procedure in November — and credited the quality of cardiac care available in Lafayette for his smooth recovery.
LeGros is a TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, recipient — a distinction he said he was not eager to have.
"I wasn't too happy about it simply because my brother-in-law had a pig valve replacement about 30 years ago due to rheumatic fever as a child, and then he had to go get it replaced about 10 years ago and wound up dying at the age of 62. So, I was pretty scared about that," LeGros said.
LeGros had aortic stenosis, a valve condition that is often fatal if left untreated. He had known for several years that treatment would eventually be necessary. That time came when his quality of life began to decline.
"I was getting tired more than usual, and I just attributed that to being 70 years old," LeGros said.
"I was scared. I mean, anybody that's going to have a heart surgery is a fool if they're not scared," LeGros said.
In years past, LeGros would have required open-heart surgery. Because of technological advancements and modern medicine, however, his care team was able to insert his new valve through a catheter. Within 2 days, he was at home, comfortable and without complications.
"I felt really lucky about it. I felt, especially, the fact that it was in Lafayette. I don't know if people realize just, the quality of cardiac care available in Lafayette is absolutely amazing," LeGros said.
His surgeon, Dr. Eric Thomassee, an interventional cardiologist at Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital, said that kind of gratitude makes the long hours worthwhile.
"It's touching, and we love hearing it, but that's why we all do this— not just me, the nurses, the doctors. We do this for that little bit of praise," Thomassee said.
