At 72 years old, Robert Palov described himself as a busy man on the go. Juggling time between a marketing job and golf courts, he took good care of his health to maintain his busy lifestyle. But in May 2015, Palov experienced two weeks of chest pains. Following a visit with a cardiologist at the Lakeshore Hospital he knew his lifestyle was about to change.
The angiogram was very clear: Palov had extensive blockage in his arteries (85 to 90 per cent) and needed to undergo surgery as soon as possible.
It was Dr. Patrick Ergina, cardiac surgeon at the RVH-MUHC, who treated Palov. “Mr. Palov came to the MUHC because he needed an Aortic valve replacement and coronary bypass surgery,” he explains.
Dr. Ergina’s mission was to help restore the blood flow to Palov’s heart by replacing the blocked aortic valve with a new prosthetic valve and by bypassing the blocked coronary arteries with vessels that were taken from his legs.
Raji Cambow was one of Palov’s physiotherapists during his stay at the MUHC. As part of the unit’s multidisciplinary team, Cambow’s main role consists of helping patients gain back their mobility after a cardiac surgery.
In fact, this first experience at the newly located Royal Victoria Hospital left nothing but good impressions on Palov who made sure to send a letter of appreciation to the MUHC upon his discharge from the hospital.
Front row: Veronique Tardif, Dr. Patrick Ergina; back row: Linda Lowe, Susan Lloy, Raj Cambow, Donna Patterson, Maryam Ahli Eraghi, Myriam Julien, Christine Lefebvre.