Bougainvillea successfully performs BVI’s first open heart surgery
The Bougainvillea Clinic celebrated another monumental and historic occasion in cardiac care in the BVI as its team successfully performed the territory’s first open-heart surgery on November 16.
While this represents a first in the BVI, it is the third such nation in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean to perform the surgery. Experts in the medical field say Barbados and the US Virgin Islands have also done it.
The patient is a young girl who underwent the surgery to replace her aortic valve.
According to the lead surgeon on the operation, Dr Rodger Miller, the patient’s aortic valve had to be replaced because it was preventing blood from leaving her heart.
He said they had to replace the valve with a new one to resume normal heart functions. The surgery, according to Dr Miller, took more than four hours. He said there were no complications and the patient is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Bougainvillea Clinic.
Dr Miller was assisted by Dr Sunil Stephenson — a senior cardiothoracic surgeon visiting from University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica. Head of Anaesthesia, Dr Craig Stoutt was also present to assist.
Dr Miller said it was an important moment for cardiac surgery in the territory.
“Even though we are a small country, we can achieve big things,” he stated.
Dr Stephenson further said the historical operation was a long time in the making and he jumped at the opportunity to participate. He said the operation required experienced medical professionals, especially the ICU nurses. And as a result, he poached a few nurses from Jamaica to ensure everything went smoothly.
Meanwhile, Angela Williams, the Clinic Manager, expressed her gratitude for the medical team which was able to save the young child’s life.
“It’s a pleasure to stand before you today to say we did it. We did it under constraints but we were successful and I am proud of my team,” Williams said.
The owner of Bougainvillea, Dr Heskith Vanterpool, said the success of the surgery was mainly because of the tremendous efforts of his team at the medical facility.
He thanked the administration, the nurses, the doctors, the ICU team, the auxiliary staff and clinic drivers for the work done to ensure the day went smoothly.
Vanterpool also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the National Health Insurance (NHI) team for covering a significant part of the operation’s expense and also for their commitment to assist with the development of cardiothoracic surgery in the Virgin Islands in the future.
Dr Vanterpool further said the procedure would have been considerably more expensive if it was performed in the United States. He said the cost would be around $100,000-$150,000 but he is grateful the life-saving surgery was performed locally at a reduced cost.
“I was quite surprised by the things that I saw, the kind of emotions that it generated. Particularly when the heart completely stopped. There was no breathing for about one and a half hours but the perfusionist (operator of the heart-lung machine, which is an artificial blood pump) did a masterful job. When the patient came back to life, so to speak, that was a very emotional time,” Vanterpool added.
The Bougainvillea Clinic is not new to pioneering medical procedures in the territory. Back in 2019, Dr Vanterpool noted his facility had made another massive leap in the Virgin Islands’ medical sector as a medical procedure conducted by doctors to cure the Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome (WPW) — also called abnormal heart rhythm.
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Great news bless team&families
Great news.
This is what working together can achieve. Full time we stop discriminating against each other and appreciate the positive things we can achieve when we are united as a Caribbean people. A team of BVILanders and Jamaican medical personnel making history. Well done. Caribbean Love.
The gentleman has single handedly transformed medicine and medical care in the BVI, our home, to world standards.
Doc. Vanterpool, thank you for your foresight and vision, and for the hard, dedicated and committed work you have done to manifest them into reality. Thank you a billion times over.
Every BVIIslander, and expats alike, should be very, very proud of you and the gigantium medical strides and facilities you have given us.
There was a time, jn my life, when we hadlittle to no medical facilities or expert care. Then we improved to Doc. Osborne and Doc. Tat. And then you came along and brought us into the 21st. Quite a massive achievement in such a short time.
Again, thank you and contiune to strive, as you appear to be one who sets no limits and sees no boudaries.
A very special breed you are.
I will always remember you Dr. Vanterpool. You were at the right place at the right time when your facility was closed and I had no other alternative. You turned back though you were rushing to leave and attended to me. And you didnt even charge me. I always always pay it forward. God bless you. Keep up the good work. Here, you touched someone’s heart phycially but you touched mine emotiinally. Thanks for having a heart.
Well done Dr. Miller!!!! Amazing effort by the medical team. Speedy recovery to the patient!!!!!
Thank God for his mercies, congratulations to the entire team. What a tremendous blessing in the B V I. Dr. H and Ms. Jean Vanterpool, Dr. Stephenson and his team, the two young stallions, Dr. Rodger Miller and Dr. Craig Stout. To all of you, keep up the good works, may God continue to bless and keep you all safely. Thank God for Dr. A. Flax Miller who made Dr. R. Miller part of the BVI family.
Out in front blazing a trail
This is amazing, to God be the glory great things he had done. To all the hard working doctors on their team congratulations to you all on a job well done.
Such an important piece of break through for the BVI even though we are very advance glad Bally but this is a milestone for us .
The few people who can rejoice with success but the many who can sympathize with misfortune .
What you call dat ?
We can show more appreciation to our own by our positive blogs . Give them some encouragement and good reviews my people