Simple dental problems led a young woman who was eight months pregnant to undergo an emergency cesarean section and open heart surgery, but also to forge an unwavering bond with her cardiologist.
“I was sweating to stay in bed and when I started to vomit on March 29, I went to the hospital. This is where it all happened. My blood platelets weren’t pretty, something had to be done, ”says the lady, who was 27 at the time.
To undergo more in-depth examinations, the doctors decide to give him an emergency cesarean. Mavrick was therefore born on March 30 at the Thetford Mines hospital.
The next day she began to see double. “They saw that I had had a stroke,” she says. She was then transferred to the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ).
Photo Didier Debusschère
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In danger
“She arrived on April 2 when I was on call,” recalls cardiologist Kim O’Connor. She had a completely destroyed valve with a sledgehammer. ”
The diagnosis points to endocarditis, a very serious disease caused by bacteria. “It was found that small pieces were detached from the mass of the valve, had blocked arteries, and reached the spleen and kidneys in addition to the brain”, analyzes the cardiologist.
“We can’t imagine going through that. I was far from my baby when it must have been the happiest moment of my life. It was more hell that was beginning. When Dr. O’Connor told me I was going to have an open-heart surgery, I couldn’t understand. I was someone in great shape, in great health, ”recalls the young mother.
Photo Didier Debusschère
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Ms. Drouin was operated on April 3 by Dr. Dimitri Kalavrouziotis. “He did a great job and was able to save his valve by putting a ring around it. A biological (porcine) valve would only have worked from 5 to 7 years in a young woman. A mechanical valve requires medication to thin the blood, which is dangerous for the fetus, ”explains Dr. O’Connor.
Caries and gingivitis
The operation confirmed the bacterial cause. “Pregnant women often get gingivitis. Renée-Claude was bleeding a lot, but didn’t complain about it, and had a cavity that she didn’t feel. There is a good chance bacteria from her mouth entered the bloodstream and infected the valve, which was probably already sick, ”says Dr. O’Connor.
“People don’t know that heavy bleeding in the mouth and oral problems like cavities can ultimately cause a serious infection of the heart. All our patients operated on for valves see the dentist first, ”insists the cardiologist.
Photo Didier Debusschère
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Going up the slope was not easy for Renée-Claude Drouin. “I had a caesarean, a stroke and had an open heart surgery in the same week. Just getting up was dreadful. I couldn’t take my baby. The state of mind, too, with my family in Thetford Mines, I felt alone, but luckily I had an extraordinary team. I didn’t start having pep again until July or August. “
Her partner and mother stopped working to help her and take care of the baby.
Photo Didier Debusschère
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Two miracles
The young woman from Thetford Mines has finally recovered well. “I often tell her that if we did not see the ring we would consider that she has a normal heart,” says Dr. O’Connor.
“If I play soccer, I feel like I’m working harder than someone else and I get out of breath faster. But this is not a problem in everyday life. They (at the IUCPQ) called me the miracle, ”says the one whose after-effects of stroke limit“ to a little migraine ”or bursts in vision when she is tired.
Photo Didier Debusschère
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The two women have forged unbreakable bonds. “Dr. O’Connor gave me a second life. I appreciate it so much. I often ask him for advice. “
“I have a special bond with her,” confirms the cardiologist. She has great confidence in me and thanks me every time I see her, always with her little boy. She told me that she would never have another child. One day, she told me that she was ready to have another baby and wanted my opinion before telling her boyfriend. “
And her cardiologist’s efforts to enable her to expand her family have not been in vain. After a follow-up at the CHUL as a risk pregnancy, Renée-Claude Drouin gave birth on January 13, 2020 to a baby girl, Madison.
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