I just received a great question from Pete about elevated heart rates following heart valve surgery.

Pete writes, “Hi Adam, I had aortic valve replacement on April 8, 2009, about two months ago. My main concern is that my heart rate is running quite high at 80 to 90 beats per minute. Before surgery, my heart rate was around 60. I contacted my cardiologist about this three times. Each time, they tell me this is one of the side effects from surgery and it should diminish over time. Quite frankly, I am concerned my heart is going to wear out. Any thoughts? Thanks, Pete”

Without a doubt, Pete raises a very valid concern of patients following cardiac surgery.

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Thanks to Charlotte, I just heard about an interesting treatment for new and old heart surgery scars (including keloid scarring). The product is called Mediscar HD Scar Solution.

After doing some research on Mediscar, I learned that this scar treatment is 100% natural and has received many testimonials from heart surgery patients. Mediscar has also received several doctor recommendations. In discussing Mediscar’s efficacy, Dr. Edward Berger noted, “Scars from surgery, which used to require months… or even years to lose their red, rough appearance, fade away in an amazingly short time, leaving virtually no scarring at all.”

To illustrate the effect of Mediscar on heart surgery patients, below you can see an actual “before-and-after” comparison of an open heart surgery scar. The first picture was taken before the patient used Mediscar:

Here is a picture of the same patient after using Mediscar:

If you have any interest in trying Mediscar, I just learned there is a special Internet promotion going on right now. The company is offering a free, two-week trial of Mediscar. Please note, however, there is a small $1.95 shipping-and-handling fee with this promotion.

To learn more about Mediscar HD Scar Solution, click this link.

I hope that helps!

Keep on tickin!

I’ll never forget when I learned my options for a heart valve replacement.

Dr. Trento, the first surgeon I interviewed, briefly discussed the pros and cons of pig valves, cow valves, human donor valves (homografts) and mechanical valves with me. While I immediately understood the use of mechanical valves and homografts for aortic valve replacement, it took me some time to truly understand how pigs and cows provided a suitable alternative for a human heart valve.

Now, however, I am fully aware of the benefits that pig valves (aka porcine valves) and cow valves (aka bovine valves) offer patients requiring heart valve replacement surgery.

That said, I was somewhat surprised to learn that patients might have another biological option to consider in the future. According to a recent report in the Canadian Medical Journal (CMJA), researchers in Quebec will soon begin testing heart valves from harp seals to determine if they are suitable for use in humans.

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Since posting a recent blog about palpitations after heart valve surgery, I’ve received several questions about atrial fibrillation, also known as A-Fib.

Most of the questions focused on “learning the basics” of this irregular heart rhythm. Luckily, I located a great, educational video which addresses the core questions about A-Fib so I posted it below.

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I just received a very interesting email from Mandy about heart valve surgery, vertigo, headaches and vision complications after heart surgery. As you can read below, Mandy is asking for all of our help.

Mandy With Her Two Children

Mandy writes to me, “Hi Adam, I had valve replacement on September 16, 2009. I am 34 years old. I am doing really well but I am having some vision disturbances and periods of vertigo. At first it was just vision disturbances and I wrote it off as ocular headaches. Then, I started having difficulty walking straight with these vision disturbances. I looked on-line and found transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) as a possible cause. I do not take Coumadin anymore because I have a bovine valve. My question is… Did you or any of your readers have similar experiences and if so what has been done? Thanks! Mandy”

While I do seem to have more headaches after my aortic valve replacement, I did not experience vertigo or vision loss during my recovery. However, I have met several patients that experience similar issues during their recovery.

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