In her email, Wendy writes to me, “Hi Adam: My 62-year old mother was just diagnosed with a heart valve that is leaking due to a mitral valve prolapse. The cardiologist told her that the leaking valve was in moderate-to-severe status and may require surgery in the next year. I’m curious to know how serious is a leaky heart valve? Thanks Wendy!”

Given Wendy’s question, I have some quick, personal thoughts to share. As with most heart valve disorders (e.g. aortic stenosis), the severity of valvular disease is dependent upon the functioning of the valve and its ability to properly manage the flow of blood through the heart.

Leaking Heart Valve Caused By Mitral Prolapse

Different diagnostic categories have been established to evaluate the seriousness of the valve disorder. The most common categories, that I’m aware of, are mild, moderate and severe. Variable tests and measurements (e.g. valve area, velocity, valve gradient) are used to identify, monitor and treat these diagnostic segments.

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I just received an interesting email from Jake.

He writes, “Adam – I’m 57 and going in for mitral valve repair next week due to mitral prolapse. It’s going to be an open heart surgery. I’m curious, do you have any pictures of your chest before-and-after surgery? I’m not really a pretty boy, I just want to know what to expect when I wake up. Thanks, Jake”

In my opinion, Jake is asking the right type of questions as he prepares for surgery. As I learned, expectation management is critical for both patients and caregivers throughout the surgical process – especially the recovery. That said, I just searched my picture albums for Jake.

Ding! Ding! Ding! I found some!!!

Below, you can see the impact of open heart surgery on my chest. The amazing part? You can barely even tell that I had a median sternotomy. But, you can tell that I have gained a few pounds over the years.

I also thought you might like to see, up close, what my scar looks like right now. In the picture below, you can see, in detail, how the incision scar (from my broken sternum) and the chest tube scars have healed.

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So you know…

The response to the beta launch of our HeartValveSurgeons.com has been very favorable!!! I have received positive reviews from patients, caregivers, nurses, cardiologists and surgeons regarding this unique, online tool.

Thankfully… Many of you provided thoughtful comments about how to enhance the function of the database.

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Time for a fun, multiple choice question about your heart’s anatomy! Here it is…

“How many times will the human heart beat during the average lifetime of 66 years?”

• A. 5 million times
• B. 200 million times
• C. 1 billion times
• D. 2.5 billion times
• E. 5 billion times.

The answer to the question is below the beating heart animation. Scroll down to find out whether you are right or wrong.

D. 2.5 billion times

I hope you enjoyed this quick little game of heart trivia.

Keep on tickin!

Mario just wrote to me, “Hey Adam, my name is Mario Luera (age: 33) and I had aortic valve replacement in October, 2008. I am recovering well and just finished my cardiac rehab. I’m about to start on a workout program. My question to you is what type of vitamins/ supplements are you taking and what to stay away from? My cardiologist told me to just take a multivitamin everyday. Thanks for your time! Mario”

As I previously wrote in “Do Vitamins Combat Fatigue After Heart Surgery”, I really struggled with energy issues following my double, heart valve replacement. I was exhausted all the time.

So, I contacted a highly-regarded nutritionist, Karen Raden, to help enhance my energy level. After a blood test and consultation, Karen suggested three specific vitamins and supplements to reduce my fatigue.

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