Testimonios

The doctor becomes the patient

For over 40 years, Morton Getz, M.D., age 79, has cared for other people. He was an internist and gastroenterologist, practicing in Miami for more than 30 years. After leaving his practice, he continued caring for others as the vice president and medical director of Catholic Hospice and then as the founder and CEO of Hospice at Douglas Gardens. Dr. Getz is now enjoying his retirement, embracing every day as a gift.  

During a procedure for his heart, an aneurysm was discovered in Dr. Getz’s abdominal aorta. This aorta carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart and supplies blood to the lower part of the body. The pressure from blood flowing through Dr. Getz’s aorta produced a weakened area, causing the aorta to expand and bulge, much like a balloon. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a health risk because they can burst or rupture. A ruptured aneurysm can cause severe internal bleeding, which can lead to shock or even death.

For over five years, Dr. Getz’s abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was closely monitored. Because Dr. Getz had suffered heart damage from four previous heart attacks, he was considered high-risk for surgical repair. As his aneurysm continued to expand and finally reached 7cm, Dr. Getz said he felt “he was looking at a loaded gun and his only option was to move forward with treatment.”

“Cardiologists said no to surgery,” explained Dr. Getz. “Most surgeons wouldn’t have touched this one, but Dr. Katzen reassured me that it could be treated. It’s obvious he cares very much about what he does. He spends so much time with his patients and he’s really one of the kindest and gentlest people I’ve come across. I can truly say he saved my life.”

Barry Katzen, M.D., medical director of Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, treated Dr. Getz’s AAA with an endovascular stent-graft procedure. The procedure is less invasive than an open surgical repair and is performed inside the artery using long, thin tubes called catheters that are threaded through the blood vessels. Dr. Katzen used live X-ray pictures viewed on a video screen to guide a fabric and metal tube, or endograft, to the site of the aneurysm. Once in place, the stent graft strengthens the weakened site of the aorta.  

Dr. Getz now jokes that his main hobby is simply "being alive.” He enjoys spending time with his family and loves taking photos of his beautiful granddaughter, Sophia. “I used to think about that aneurysm all the time,” said Dr. Getz. “Now, I don’t worry about it anymore.”

Dr. Getz added, “All of the males in my family have passed away from heart disease complications by age 50, so my friends say I have nine lives. But, my mother lived to be 96, so maybe I have just enough of those genes to beat the odds.”  

Helping people beat the odds is what we do. Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute pioneered a unique approach to treat cardiovascular disease – our philosophy is to treat the heart, veins and arteries as a single entity.

 The Institute’s endovascular team – interventional radiologists, vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons and anesthesiologists – has repaired nearly 1,000 abdominal aortic and thoracic aneurysms with excellent results, allowing patients like Dr. Getz to move on with his new job… happily living the rest of his life.

 

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