MIAMI (WSVN) - A young South Florida man is opening up about his ongoing battle against COVID-19, as doctors discover links between the virus and organ damage, including the heart.
Jose Flores Jr. said he feared the coronavirus had gotten the best of him several weeks ago, when he was fighting for his life in the hospital.
“[I asked myself], ‘What’s going on? What’s happening? Why this? Why now? I’m just 21,'” he said.
The patient said he fought a difficult battle against the disease.
“I got into an induced coma where I was in shock, so I don’t really remember,” he said. “After I got, like, when I got in there, I was on the phone with my mom. I don’t remember any of that.”
COVID-19 didn’t cause Flores lung problems. Instead, it hit him in his heart.
Dr. Allan Stewart, medical director of cardiovascular surgery at three hospitals in Miami-Dade, said his patient had massive heart failure.
“He is a 21-year-old kid, who has really no other issues, so he’s a kid who’s not supposed to die,” he said.
Stewart said he had to make a quick decision to perform an emergency procedure that saved Flores’ life.
“Myocarditis, or inflammation of the muscle of the heart, prevents that heart from squeezing, from doing its job,” he said, “so what we did is we put a device in right into the heart, across the heart valve, to take the place of the heart temporarily and allow the heart to heal.”
Within a couple of days, Flores started to make a full recovery.
Stewart said Flores’ story shows the important link between the virus and direct heart damage. It’s something he wants people to take seriously.
“Now we’re learning, as time goes on, ‘Well, geez, there are a lot of other problems associated with this virus that could affect the heart individually, not just as a consequence of affecting the lungs,'” he said.
A recent study shows 78% of recovered patients have ongoing heart damage, inflammation or structural changes to their heart.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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