When Randy Bader had stents placed in 2017 and again in 2025, he remained vigilant about monitoring his heart health. For years, his cardiologist closely followed his progress, consistently asking whether he was experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, or other warning signs. Randy felt fine and did not have any symptoms or indications that anything was wrong.
Everything changed after a routine computed tomography (CT) scan, which revealed a surprise his medical team wasn’t expecting—a bicuspid aortic valve. Randy was born with a common congenital heart defect where his aortic valve only had two leaflets instead of the normal three. Over time, one of those leaflets had become severely clogged, leading to the development of an aneurysm which put Randy at serious risk despite feeling healthy.
Faced with the need for open-heart surgery, Randy set out to find a trusted surgeon. This led him to Dr. Hazim Safi, a renowned cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, known for handling some of the most complex heart cases in the region.
Dr. Safi performed a complicated and highly specialized surgery to repair Randy’s aortic valve aneurysm and address the blockage caused by his bicuspid valve. The procedure was intricate, but Randy knew he was in the right hands.
Today, Randy is well into his recovery and feeling better than he has in years. The fatigue and tiredness he had brushed off as part of everyday life are now gone. In his words, he’s “thrilled to have his energy back.”
Randy’s journey is a powerful reminder that heart conditions don’t always come with warning signs and that the right medical team can change a life.
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Heart care in Houston
For more than 45 years, HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center has served Houston’s world-class Museum District and surrounding communities. Today, we are a boutique surgical hospital emphasizing heart care and heart surgery. Our heart specialists effectively diagnose and treat a wide range of cardiovascular diseases and disorders. Learn more about our cardiology services and find a doctor.