DOCTOR REPAIRS TEEN'S DAMAGED HEART VALVE.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer A Filipino teen-ager who traveled here to receive life-saving heart surgery for free Wednesday was expected to recover fully, doctors said. Randolf Scott Caday was recuperating at Encino Tarzana Regional Medical Center, where a surgeon donated his services and spent two hours replacing the boy's diseased dis·eased adj. 1. Affected with disease. 2. Unsound or disordered. aortic valve aortic valve n. The valve between the left ventricle of the heart and the ascending aorta, consisting of three semilunar cusps. Aortic valve . ``It's a new lease on life for him,'' said the teen-ager's uncle, Rafael Caday. ``I just haven't stopped praying for the past few days now. We're very grateful to the community.'' The 16-year-old's vital signs began to improve quickly after the operation, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Gharavi. Without the surgery, which his parents could not afford, his doctors say he only had another year or two to live. Randolf has had rheumatic heart disease rheumatic heart disease n. Permanent damage to the valves of the heart usually caused by repeated attacks of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic heart disease for almost five years, and his aortic valve was so diseased that every day he waited, the risk of complications in surgery worsened. But Gharavi said Randolf did surprisingly well. ``He's good for the rest of his life,'' Gharavi said. ``He doesn't have to have another operation. He's awake and alert and off the breathing machine. His heart is working better already.'' The 16-year-old, who lives about 300 miles north of Manila, received the free surgery because of Healing the Children, an organization that asks doctors to provide free medical care to impoverished children throughout the world. For Cris Embleton, head of Healing the Children's California chapter, the successful surgery was a relief. ``I've done this for 20 years, and it never gets old,'' she said. ``It's wonderful to be a witness to miracles like this.'' His uncle said while Randolf was not able to talk after the surgery, he was conscious for a short time and indicated he was feeling better already. ``I went to his bedside, asked him if he was OK,'' Caday said. ``He nodded, and he went right back to sleep.'' He will probably remain in the hospital another four days and then rest at home for an additional month before he fully recovers, Gharavi said. CAPTION(S): Photo: (1) Randolf Caday is wheeled toward the operating room operating room n. Abbr. OR A room equipped for performing surgical operations. at Tar tar: see tar and pitch. (Tape ARchive) A Unix utility that is used to archive files by combining several files into one. It is often used in conjunction with the "compress" or "gzip" commands to compress the data. zana Hospital, where free heart surgery was performed Wednesday. (2) Dr. Mohammad Gharavi keeps a watchful watch·ful adj. 1. Closely observant or alert; vigilant: kept a watchful eye on the clock. See Synonyms at aware, careful. 2. Archaic Not sleeping; awake. eye on a heart monitor. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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