Devo Friedman is a patient who came in with excessive bleeding after a root canal.
History[]
Devo had a root canal and couldn't stop bleeding afterward, so she was taken to the hospital. At the hospital, they detected a heart murmur. She needed a heart valve replacement. She was diagnosed with Von Willebrand disease, which made her ineligible for a mechanical heart valve. Her religious beliefs prevented her from accepting a porcine valve, so she challenged the doctors to come up with another possible solution. After some research, Alex determined that she could get a bovine valve instead, which was even better because it would last longer. Burke was reluctant to do the procedure as he hadn't done it before, but he ultimately agreed to do it. During the procedure, he consulted with Dr. Chesney, who had done the procedure before.
Relationships[]
Familial[]
Devo had a somewhat contentious relationship with her parents because she was more devoutly religious than they are. She was upset when they tried to convince her to have a porcine valve placed in her heart.
Notes and Trivia[]
- She is an Orthodox Jew.
- She was 17 at the time of her valve replacement.
- She calls herself Esther.
- She asked for a rabbi to bless her before her surgery.
- She is mistaken about the valve. Jewish law forbids eating pork, but there is nothing to prevent an observant Jew from having a porcine valve implanted. And in any case, preservation of life takes precedence over (nearly) everything, including the laws of kashrut. But perhaps as a newly observant person who doesn't come from a religious background, Esther didn't know that.