KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- A sophisticated and advanced procedure not offered at many hospitals, has saved the life of a Hurricane Maria survivor.

  • Ramona Centeno suffers from condition that makes heart overwork
  • Doctors gave her a year to live; she survived Hurricane Maria
  • New procedure at Osceola Regional Medical Center better than open-heart surgery

The 84-year-old Ramona Centeno suffers from aortic stenosis.

It is a condition in which the heart's aortic valve is too narrow and causes the heart to be overworked. 

In Spanish, her granddaughter Gloria Rivera told Spectrum News 13, "(My grandmother) had many palpitations. She was always very tired and fatigued. She was feeling pretty bad."

Centeno is also a survivor of Hurricane Maria. She left behind a completely damaged home in Puerto Rico. She came to Kissimmee after doctors on the island told her she had no chance of survival. 

"They told us if she didn't get this procedure she would only have a year left." Rivera said. 

Centeno got a trans-catheter aortic valve replacement, also known as TAVR, at Osceola Regional Medical Center. This is a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery. 

Experts said if she would have had an open heart surgery, she would have had to stay at Osceola Regional Medical Center for about 10 days, but with this procedure, Centeno is up and running the next day.

"For them, it's a life changing event. They are given the opportunity for prolonging their lives, quality of life," said Dr. Sayed Hussain the medical director for the TAVR Program. "The congestive heart failure they've been dealing with, the fatigue, the difficulty in ambulation it all improves within an immediate one or two days after their procedure. So we are very happy and pleased for this patient."

Rivero said Centeno may have lost her home in the storm but she has not lost her willingness to live. 

"We're all very happy. Thankful to God and this medical team that saved her life," Rivero added.

Centeno is the 100th patient at Osceola Regional Medical Center to get this life-saving procedure.