Grateful Heart: Patient Reunites With Lifesaving Surgeons

Scott Wiley always hoped he’d have a chance to thank the doctors who saved his life. When he casually mentioned it to UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital team members working with him on a project, they coordinated a reunion with cardiothoracic surgeons Garry Weide, DO, and James Levett, MD, who performed his open-heart surgery.

“I was incredibly excited to meet them,” Wiley says. “They were so gracious. Meeting them under different circumstances has been a goal of mine since my operation. I wanted to find some way to thank them.”

Wiley was born with a severely regurgitating mitral heart valve, which means the valve wouldn’t close properly, allowing blood to flow backward into the left atrium of the heart. He lived with the condition without incident until, during a routine physical in 2014, his doctor heard a heart murmur. Wiley was referred to cardiologist Keith Kopec, MD, who monitored and treated him for several years. However, in 2021, Wiley’s condition progressed to the point of needing surgery. He went to another hospital for the mitral valve repair, but unfortunately, the outcome left him worse off.

“I came home and proceeded to get sicker than I’d ever been in my life,” Wiley says. “My urine was the color of cola. I was losing weight daily and bleeding internally.”

Wiley went back to Dr. Kopec, who suggested they involve cardiologist Laila Payvandi, MD. A specialist in advanced imaging, Dr. Payvandi noticed Wiley’s newly repaired valve had three sutures leaking.

“We used a combination of two dimensional and three-dimensional echo imaging to highlight the problem with Mr. Wiley’s mitral valve repair,” Dr. Payvandi says.

“The blood was leaking from the valve at such velocity, it was damaging his red blood cells. That caused him to become significantly anemic and require blood transfusions. It was clear he needed surgery to repair the problem.”

Collaborative Effort Restores Heart Health, Improves Quality of Life

Doctors Kopec and Payvandi consulted with Dr. Weide and scheduled Wiley for surgery. Ultimately, Dr. Weide replaced Wiley’s mitral valve with a tissue valve from a pig.

“Our goal was twofold,” Dr. Weide says. “Replace the valve so it was no longer leaking and stop the damage to his red blood cells from the anemia. The advantage of a tissue valve over a mechanical valve is that it doesn’t require blood thinners. Given he was quite anemic, we wanted to avoid them because of potential blood loss."

Today, Wiley feels better than ever. He’s celebrating life with a new, positive outlook and says he owes his life to his cardiologist and cardiac surgeons.

“This whole experience has changed me,” Wiley says. “I’ve intensified my lifestyle of eating clean, exercising and no smoking or drinking. I’m happy I’m here today and can share my story. I have UnityPoint Health doctors to thank for that. They saved my life.”

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