Head Trauma Patient Makes Remarkable Recovery With Help of Skilled and Compassionate Mount Sinai Team
On December 16, 2019, Ronald Rossi, a 64-year-old marketing professional, passed out in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel, falling backward and hitting the back of his head on the floor. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside and immediately treated for a brain bleed by Divaldo Camara, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Camara performed a craniectomy—removal of part of the skull—to relieve the pressure on Ronald’s brain. Due to the severity of the injuries, Dr. Camara anticipated that Ronald could be the intensive care unit for up to six months.
Instead, Ronald remained in the ICU for six weeks. During that time, he underwent a second procedure, a cranioplasty, to reconstruct the shape of the skull with plastic mesh. Having made dramatic progress with his recovery, Ronald was discharged from Mount Sinai Morningside’s ICU and transferred to The Mount Sinai Hospital for a two-week brain rehabilitation program under the care of Kirk Lercher, MD, Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a specialist in traumatic brain injury. According to Dr. Lercher, Ronald was highly motivated and driven to accomplish goals across a spectrum of services provided by the team, including occupational, physical, speech, and neuropsychological therapy.
On February 21, Ronald had his first follow-up appointment with Dr. Camara, who was astonished at how quickly and well he had recovered. The day after the appointment, however, Ronald woke up with a swollen left eye and immediately went back to Dr. Camara, who determined that he had developed an infection due to fluid that built up around the skull. Dr. Camara performed an emergency cranioplasty that day to drain the fluid.
At Ronald’s follow up appointment following the second surgery, Dr. Camara was once again amazed with his recovery progress. And this time, his recovery was uneventful. Now, six months later, Ronald is feeling great. Dr. Camara is elated. “All odds were there for a devastating prognosis; Ronald beat them all. He is a great example that, utilizing all of the medical resources available at Mount Sinai, we can achieve an excellent outcome.”
Ronald and his wife, Janet, are thrilled with the care he received from Dr. Camara and physician assistant Lauren McNoble, PA-C. Dr. Camara is a patient, warm, and giving physician,” Ronald says. “He took the time to explain all the unknowns to me and Janet. He saved my life. If it was not for him, I can't imagine what would have happened. I am eternally grateful. Thank you, Dr. Camara."