When I created Heart Valve Journals, I didn’t know if anyone would actually use it. Now, a few years later, I am amazed at how patients and caregivers are using this social network to support each other through heart valve surgery.
Case in point… I just learned that Nancy Friedman — who is from St. Louis, Missouri — and Jeff Shebovksy — who is from Windermere, Florida — recently met in Orlando, Florida after seeing each other online at Heart Valve Journals. Nancy and Jeff are preparing for aortic valve replacement surgery.
Nancy Friedman & Jeff Shebovsky – Heart Valve Surgery Patients
Here’s the fun part… Take a guess what Nancy and Jeff did when they met?
As shown in the picture above, they offered Mitch Friedman, who is just getting out of the ICU, an encouraging “Thumbs Up!” picture. Mitch had aortic valve replacement last week in New York. Nancy, Jeff and Mitch all met on Heart Valve Journals.
Now… Take a guess how Mitch responded to Nancy and Jeff?
I just learned that Dr. Marc Gillinov, staff surgeon at The Cleveland Clinic and author of Heart 411, will be hosting a complimentary web chat this Friday at 12pm (EST). During this 60-minute session, you can ask Dr. Gillinov your questions about heart valve disease, heart valve repair and heart valve replacement surgery. To learn more about this special event, please click here.
If you are preparing or recovering from heart valve surgery, I encourage you to participate in this event. In the past, Dr. Gillinov’s web chats have received glowing reviews from our patient and caregiver community.
Each time I meet a cardiac surgeon with a “Chief”, “Chairman” or “Director” in front of their name, I feel extraordinarily humble. I know those titles are not easy to attain. I know these physicians have spent their entire lives learning, researching and teaching about cardiac care. Lastly, I know these doctors have spent thousands of hours in the operating room pursuing surgical perfection, always innovating to improve patient outcomes.
For example… Consider the career of Dr. Alfredo Trento, the Chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. During his 30-year career, Dr. Trento has performed over 7,500 cardiac procedures of which 4,000 operations included valvular treatment.
Dr. Alfredo Trento – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
As a result of his clinical experience and innovative approach to cardiac care, Doctor Trento has published over 150 research papers and has been featured in over 300 scientific journals. To better understand the professional and personal story of Dr. Trento, I encourage to watch this fascinating video with Florence Henderson, one of Dr. Trento’s heart valve surgery patients.
Within our patient and caregiver community, Dr. Trento is one of the most recommended doctors at the surgeon locator. As shown below, his patients offer glowing testimonials for Dr. Trento and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“Dr. Alfredo Trento is a highly qualified and competent surgeon. He is very pleasant and patient. He is also very attentive to all aspects of the procedure — both before and after. His staff reflects his overall attitude. They are also very friendly and accessible.” –Robin Hirsch, Aortic Valve Replacement
“Dr. Trento and the staff at Cedars-Sinai were wonderful. They took amazing care of me. I went home 4 days after the surgery and back to work after 4 weeks. I resumed full activity after 3 months. It was a fantastic experience. ” — Donald Andrew Church, Ross Procedure
Personally, I was very fortunate to watch Dr. Trento perform mitral valve repair surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. As shown below, this procedure involved the experimental use of the MitraClip, a new catheter-based technology that reduces severe mitral regurgitation for inoperable patients. Today, Cedars-Sinai is one of the most experienced cardiac centers using percutaneous devices for valvular disorders.
Dr. Trento Performing Mitral Valve Repair Surgery
On behalf of our community, thanks to Dr. Trento for his life-long pursuit of healthy hearts. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Trento, please click here. Or, you can contact his office by calling (888) 519-2973.
Doug sent me a great question about his options for mitral valve repair surgery. In his email, Doug wrote, “I have severe mitral regurgitation and I need surgery. I’m considering two surgeons… One surgeon uses the robot and the other surgeon does not. Which is a better choice for me?”
To provide Doug an expert opinion, I met with Dr. Steven Bolling, the Director of the Mitral Valve Program at the University of Michigan. During our discussion, Dr. Bolling, who has performed over 3,800 mitral valve operations, offered great insight and research for Doug to consider. Here are the video highlights from our chat.
Thanks to Doug for his question and a special thanks to Dr. Steven Bolling for sharing his clinical expertise with our community.
Since launching this blog 5 years ago, I have only recommended one book about cardiac care.
Today, I am thrilled to increase my book recommendations by 100% with an emphatic endorsement of “Heart 411″ by Dr. Marc Gillinov and Dr. Steven Nissen. This 550-page guide to heart health is packed with helpful facts, practical guidance and patient stories that will definitely help the 82 million Americans that are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
What I enjoyed most about the book was the pace at which Dr. Marc Gillinov and Dr. Steven Nissen intertwined research, evidence and data along with their own clinical experiences that stretch across 50 years of medical practice and 10,000 patients.
