87-Year-Old Twin Brothers Share Life-Saving, Minimally Invasive Surgeries at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute

Twin brothers Eduardo and Ignacio Sanchez are 87-years-old and have shared much over their lifetimes including a construction business decades ago. More recently, they shared something much more vital: Percutaneous heart valve replacements and minimally invasive coronary artery interventions, or bypass procedures, at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

In 2017, Eduardo had his heart’s aortic valve replaced via a minimally invasive procedure called TAVR or “transcatheter aortic valve replacement.” Weeks prior to the TAVR, he had a minimally invasive procedure in which a diamond tip burr “rotoblator” device guided by a catheter gently pulverized the calcified blockage in his right coronary artery with subsequent placement of coronary stents.

Five years later in December 2022, his twin brother Ignacio had two vital procedures done – but at the same time -- a “hybrid’ surgery, explains Ramon Lloret, M.D., medical director of Clinical Cardiology at the Institute, who coordinated the clinical care and surgeries for the brothers and performed the rotoblational atherectomy and coronary procedure on Eduardo.

The brothers both had TAVRs with Ramon Quesada, M.D., medical director of Structural Heart and Complex Percutaneous Coronary Interventions at the Institute. Ignacio had minimally invasive bypass surgery with Steven Hoff, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon with the Institute.

“On Nov. 14, 2017 I had a valve replacement with Dr. Quesada and two days later I was already home just in time for my birthday,” recalls Eduardo. “Of course, I referred my twin brother to Dr. Lloret. To be in their hands is marvelous. They are not just doctors—they’re very human and that’s a very valuable trait in their profession.”

Ignacio Sanchez understands that his hybrid procedure in December 2022 was a rare achievement involving two different advances in cardiovascular care. Mostly he’s grateful for how smoothly it went.

“I had the bypass and valve replacement at the same time,” recalls Ignacio. “I didn’t feel anything during surgery and felt great afterwards- no pain or shortness of breath. I was in the hospital less than a week and then was released to rehabilitation and was there for two weeks.”

Ignacio’s condition was more severe because he had experienced multiple hospitalizations for other conditions including a gastrointestinal problem and anemia, a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells.

“Ignacio had severe aortic stenosis,” explains Dr. Lloret. “When he came to me he was extremely ill. I performed his cardiac catheterization, and he had severe coronary artery blockages in all his coronary arteries, even more severe than his brother. He was quite frail at the time and he had deteriorated clinically.”

Dr. Lloret followed Ignacio after his hospitalizations in the office with Alex Baleaz, P.A.  When his clinical condition improved, he underwent evaluation for aortic valve replacement by two different cardiothoracic surgeons who deemed him to be high risk. However, with the collaborative effort of the Heart Team approach between Dr. Lloret and Dr. Quesada, they sent him to Dr. Hoff for evaluation for a minimally invasive, left internal artery mammary bypass -- in combination with the TAVR as a hybrid procedure. Dr. Hoff felt the patient would do well with a minimally invasive approach.

“He did great,” says Dr. Lloret, referring to Ignacio’s hybrid procedure. “It was a collaborative effort by the whole team. We did what was best for him trusting clinical judgement and knowing that his twin brother had done well.  Even though Ignacio was a little more frail, we felt comfortable pushing through. I said we can definitely help this man. To this date, the twins are both doing well and they are remarkable 87-year-old men.”