Mount Sinai Heart Institute-The leader in minimally invasive heart procedures

Heart surgery patient, Christos Mihos, views the progress of his surgery on the monitor while Mount Sinai cardiac surgeon, Dr. Juan Carlos Londono guides a miniaturized camera to find and seal the holes in Mihos’ heart. Mihos was fully awake and interactive during his procedure.
Heart surgery patient, Christos Mihos, views the progress of his surgery on the monitor while Mount Sinai cardiac surgeon, Dr. Juan Carlos Londono guides a miniaturized camera to find and seal the holes in Mihos’ heart. Mihos was fully awake and interactive during his procedure.

As a medical resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Christos Mihos has seen his fair share of medical procedures. However, he never thought he’d be able to view a procedure actually being performed on him. Twenty-nine year old Mihos was born with not one, but two holes in his heart, otherwise known as atrial septal defects (ASD). This summer, Mihos sought out Dr. Juan Carlos Londono, an interventional cardiologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, to perform the procedure that would allow him to be fully awake and interactive as the holes in his heart were repaired.
Atrial septal defects are detected in 1 out of every 1,500 live births. Sometimes, ASDs can be asymptomatic and, therefore, remain undiagnosed. As a result, ASDs currently make up 30% – 40% of all congenital heart disease seen in adults, making it the most common type of adult congenital heart defect.
Adults with uncorrected ASDs will present with symptoms such as shortness of breath with minimal exercise, fatigue, dizziness or fainting. More serious complications can include congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation or stroke.
“I started to notice that I couldn’t climb a simple flight of stairs without completely losing my breath. I’ve always been active and I’m still in my twenties so I knew something had to be wrong,” said Mihos.
After meeting with Dr. Londono, Mihos learned that not only could the procedure correct his condition but would also provide him the opportunity to interact and participate with the doctor during the surgery. Mihos was able to remain awake during the procedurebecause Londono used the innovative ICE method (intracardiac echo) – a miniaturized ultrasound that went inside Mihos’ heart through the groin – instead of the traditional tube down the mouth, otherwise known as the TEE method (transesophagal echocardiogram), which would have required sedation through general anesthesia.
“The ICE method increases comfort for the patient and improves the accuracy of diagnosis,” said Londono. Once Dr. Londono was able to identify and locate the holes in Mihos’ heart, he was able to seal them successfully.  All the while, Mihos was able to understand, interact and watch the procedure being done.
Atrial septal defect correction is just one of the ways in which the Mount Sinai Heart Institute is leading the way in minimally invasive cardiac procedures. To learn more about the Mount Sinai Heart Institute or to make an appointment, call 305-674-CARE (2273) or visit .


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  1. […] Mount Sinai Heart Institute-The leader in minimally invasive heart procedures As a medical resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Christos Mihos has seen his fair share of medical procedures. However, he never thought he’d be able to view a procedure actually being performed on him. Twenty-nine year old Mihos was born with not one, but two holes in his heart, otherwise known as atrial septal […] Read more on Miami Beach News […]

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