That evening, Archibald could not get comfortable and noticed that he was becoming more and more short of breath. Soon, he began experiencing chest pain and it became difficult for him to take even 10 steps, so his family knew that they needed to get help. Mr. McCarron, who lives in a city a few hours outside of Lakeland, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he was quickly admitted. But things did not proceed as planned. It was taking much too long to complete the vital testing and procedures Archibald needed. John McCarron, Archibald’s son, and an Electrophysiology and Cath Lab specialist at Lakeland Regional Health grew more and more concerned for his father’s health and soon began the process of getting him moved to Lakeland.

After a heart catheterization procedure showed that Archibald’s arteries were in great condition, it became clear that his aortic valve was leaking due to the effects of aortic valve stenosis. With aortic valve stenosis, the aortic valve opening is narrower than it should be, resulting in the left side of the heart having to squeeze harder with each beat to get enough blood through the opening. Archibald’s aortic valve was severely narrowed, and it was clear he needed to get to Lakeland Regional Health quickly.

Together, Andres Medina, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Lakeland Regional Health and Douglas Ebersole, MD who are both specially trained in performing TAVR procedures at the Heart Center, performed Archibald’s TAVR. During a TAVR procedure, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter with the new valve placed on the end is inserted through the skin at the top of the leg into the femoral artery. With the use of imaging called fluoroscopy and echocardiography, the catheter is moved to the proper place by the interventional cardiologist and the new valve replaces the old valve.

Mr. McCarron’s valve was so diseased that the procedure that normally took a couple of hours in 2016, took over four hours; in fact, according to his son John, “we almost lost him.”

After the procedure, once Archibald was stabilized, he remembers just how good he felt.  The shortness of breath and chest pain were gone. In fact, “he looked 100% better,” said John. “His color improved, and he already seemed to have more energy.”  Archibald remained in the intensive care unit for 5 days and then moved to the heart floor to continue his recovery. After a total of 8 days, he was able to go home.

Now, fast forward to 2022, 6 years after the surgery, Archibald is back to being the active man he had always been. He travels with his family and his wife of 60 years, June, to their home country of Scotland every few years. Today, Archibald is still working in his yard, climbing ladders, power-washing fences, and even helping his son John renovate his house-at the spry age of 85.

Archibald looks forward to the weekends when he comes to Lakeland to see his family. “My quality of life would have suffered without this treatment, said Archibald, “and now, I am even closer to my grandchildren after going through this. I feel like a million dollars!”

When we last checked in with Archibald, he was decorating for the holidays, and just finished cutting the grass. He was excited to chat with us about his recovery, and looking forward to taking his French Bulldog, Cookie, for a walk that evening! He is an amazing example of how connecting to the right providers who listen, care, and advocate for you can bring a spring back into your step!