The last time Victor Grandjean had to undergo a procedure to clear a blockage in his heart, he and his wife, Cynthia, had to drive an hour or more to a Houston medical facility and stay overnight.

That was 25 years ago. This time, because of expanded cardiac capabilities at St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital, he was able to have the complex cardiac procedure close to home.

“I did not want to go to Houston,” the 80-year-old Lake Jackson native said. “I didn't want to stay overnight there because that meant my wife would have to find a hotel room or drive back and forth.”

Victor was diagnosed with severe left main coronary artery disease and needed stents inserted to clear the blockage. “Dominance was on the left side, meaning his entire heart was supplied through his left main coronary artery,” said Dr. Saleem Raslan, interventional cardiologist at St. Luke’s-Brazosport. 

Dr. Raslan relied on a specialized Impella pump placed into the left ventricle to keep blood and oxygen flowing to the rest of Victor’s body while they repaired the artery.

Victor was awake the entire time as Dr. Raslan performed the remarkable, minimally invasive procedure. Dr. Raslan inserted a catheter through a small incision in the groin to insert two stents to clear the blockage. Meanwhile, the pump, also inserted through that same artery, allowed the team to do their work.

“With the addition of the Impella pump to our cardiac suite, St. Luke’s-Brazosport Hospital can perform complex and emergency cardiac procedures,” Dr. Raslan said.

Victor was pleased with the entire experience. “I thought it was a piece of cake,” Victor said. “I didn't feel anything. I was under conscious sedation. I was talking to him the whole time he was doing the procedure.”

Victor spent one night in the hospital and walked out the next day. No scar. He was told to take it easy for a week and to take blood thinners for a year and a half.

Then, Victor was back to cutting and edging his lawn. Two months later, he continues to do his own lawn maintenance and exercises twice a week at the cardiac rehab department at St. Luke's-Brazosport

“I feel great. Everything was top notch,” he said about his care at St. Luke’s-Brazosport Hospital. “They were 'Johnny on the spot.’ Whenever I needed something, they were right there.”