A 72-year-old mechanic who had felt fine at his car repair shop in June 2025 was diagnosed with cor triatriatum, a rare congenital heart defect that is usually found in infancy. Carlos Perez went to the emergency room after his heart began pounding and his chest ached. Doctors first identified atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, and his rhythm settled after about 90 minutes.
Tests initially found no cause. An advanced scan showed a membrane splitting one of the upper chambers of his heart, which left it with five chambers instead of four. Doctors at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute said a small gap in the membrane had allowed blood to flow for decades, but the opening narrowed with age until his heart could no longer keep a normal rhythm.
After medication failed and he had another episode in September, Perez underwent surgery on Jan. 7, 2026. Surgeons Dr. Tom Nguyen and Dr. Makoto Hashimoto, both faculty at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, removed the membrane robotically with guidance from Dr. David Kalfa of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Perez went home in less than a week with a few small incisions.
Doctors said the condition is almost always treated in infancy, and Perez will need to watch for signs of atrial fibrillation, which can be managed with monitoring and medication. The same team later performed a robotic procedure at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in August, the first of its kind in Florida, on a teenage boy who went home the next day.
