STATEMENTS

Águeda de Fátima Ferreira, 48 years old, nursing technician

I was diagnosed with a heart murmur and had an aneurysm. My physician referred me to Dr Robinson Poffo. In my first consultation with him, I was told I would have to undergo a conventional open-heart surgery. Afterwards, I got a call and my surgery was postponed, because I could undergo the procedure but with the use of a new technique. I’m a nursing technician; as such, I had been working in the ICU for many years and had seen a lot of quite traumatic postoperative outcomes. I must admit that felt a little afraid at first, but I was reassured by Dr Poffo about the benefits of the video-assisted minimally invasive surgery. After surgery, I spent only five days in hospital. I recovered very quickly. After 15 days I could walk, and after three months I could do all of my routine activities. The surgical scar is quite small and represents one more battle I fought and won. Nowadays, I take care of my diet and do physical activities on a regular basis.

Lilian Larsen Fagundes, 40 years old, teacher at a local school in Joinville.

Since I was a kid I had been suffering from pain and shortness of breath. I needed to be operated on and my physician suggested that I see Dr. Robinson Poffo, as I had rheumatic fever with mitral valve involvement. I felt worried: every surgery is always a traumatic event. When Dr Poffo explained to me how the video-assisted surgery through a nipple incision was made, I felt very much at ease. I have three young children who need my attention, so I had to recover fast. That’s just what happened. I stayed only five days in hospital, and after two weeks, I could walk unaided and do some light activities. Two months later I was riding a bike, driving, doing the housework and I went back to work. Besides, the scar from the surgery is quite small and imperceptible, totally different from those scars seen on patients submitted to conventional surgery.

Helena Maria Felisberto, 47 years, housewife.

I didn’t feel well, but I thought it was nothing more than a common flu. I underwent several tests, and with the results came the shocking news: I had a heart condition. I was diagnosed with mitral stenosis (narrowing of the mitral valve, which increases resistance to blood flow) and my cardiologist told me I should see Dr Robinson Poffo, because I had to be operated on. I got scared, because I didn’t know there was a new and less invasive method. Within four days, I was discharged from the ICU, and in one week I was sent home. On the first days, I felt some pain, but I did my chores as usual. After one month I could walk up and down the stairs without stopping and went for walks as I used to. Today, six months after the surgery, I’m very glad about the results. The small scar doesn’t bother me and doesn’t cause me any embarrassment, as it is almost imperceptible. I even saw a plastic surgeon in the postoperative period, but he said that no procedure was necessary and that the scar would substantially decrease in size. And so it happened. I recommend that those who need to undergo this surgery choose this method. My recovery was great and prompt and even the aesthetic aspect was contemplated. In addition, Dr Poffo was very friendly and considerate throughout both the preoperative and postoperative periods.

José Manoel Mariano, 55 years, truck driver

I travel a lot. I was in Rondônia when I suddenly felt unwell. When I went back to Joinville, I began to have fever and other problems. After seeing a doctor, I found out that my aortic valve was calcified, and then I was referred to Dr Robinson Poffo. I wasn’t afraid, but I felt very nervous, because a heart surgery is quite serious. It’s the main part of our body. After the initial shock, I underwent surgery. Everything went smoothly. I thought it would be riskier, but Dr Robinson Poffo was very nice. I stayed five days in the ICU. Twenty days later I could already drive my car and after 26 days I could ride a bike again. There was even a local story about me in the papers, because I had a really fast recovery. I know that I was the first patient to undergo this video-assisted surgery in Brazil, from which I had a quick recovery and a very small scar, so small that it can hardly be seen.