Ormond Beach Man Celebrates Being #105

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., November 2, 2017 Ormond Beach resident Gary Zimmerman was the 105th patient to undergo a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement or TAVR, for short at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center.

After replacing his heart valve, Zimmerman is feeling so much better. So much so, that he purchased a specialty Stop Heart Disease license plate to let everyone who passes him by know!

Adorned with TAVR 105, Zimmerman's license plate on his red Chevy showcases just how happy he is that he underwent the procedure in August.

I am feeling great, Zimmerman said. My license plate is a terrific reminder of the outstanding service I received from the entire staff at Florida Hospital.

In April 2015, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center was the first to bring the TAVR procedure to the community. The minimally invasive procedure replaces heart valves in patients who are either high-risk or too sick for open heart surgery.

TAVR is for patients who have been diagnosed with a narrowing of the heart's aortic valve opening, called severe aortic stenosis.

Many patients with severe aortic stenosis describe feeling like they are being smothered or drowning, said Tim Farley, cardiovascular administrator for the Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties. Because the heart valve isn't functioning properly, patients often have trouble breathing, so much so that even brief walking is very difficult, making traveling out of the area for care seem like an insurmountable obstacle.

Less than 24 hours after my procedure, I could carry on a conversation without getting short of breath, Zimmerman said. When I woke up from the TAVR procedure, I realized that I wasn't working so hard to breathe.

Typically, patients with this condition are treated with an open heart surgery procedure. However, for those who cannot undergo open heart surgery, TAVR is a new and less invasive option.

Instead of opening up the chest and replacing the diseased heart valve, TAVR uses a catheter to place a stented heart valve.

About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center includes the 327-bed facility in Daytona Beach, as well as Florida Hospital Oceanside with 80 beds in Ormond Beach. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and Florida Hospital Oceanside are two of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees. For more information about Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, visit www.floridahospitalmemorial.org.