Adam Pick, Author of the Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Get the latest news, patient advice and insights about heart valve surgery from Adam Pick, patient, author and website founder

Patient Alert: New Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines to Prevent Stroke Risk

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: March 14, 2024

At the recent 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in San Antonio, I learned A LOT of great information about heart valve defects and related cardiac conditions.

For example… The American Heart Association (AHA) finally updated its guidelines specific to the treatment of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, during heart valve surgery to prevent stroke risks. As this is BIG news, I interviewed Dr. Patrick McCarthy, the Executive Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, to learn more about the new guidelines.

Click here to see my interview with Dr. McCarthy about the new AHA Guidelines for the treatment of atrial fibrillation during open-heart surgery to prevent stroke.

 

AHA Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines & Dr. Patrick McCarthy

 

Many thanks to Dr. Patrick McCarthy for sharing all of this important information about atrial fibrillation, heart valve disease and stroke risks with our patient community!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Off-Topic: Ethan, My Son, Wins VEX Robotics State Championship!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: March 13, 2024

As many of you have been following my son’s passion for robotics, I am happy to share that Ethan’s team won the VEX Robotics California State Championship last weekend in San Diego. To claim the title, Ethan’s team went on an extraordinary and undefeated 13-0 run.

 

Ethan Pick Robotics State Champion

 

If you are not familiar with the VEX Robotics Competition, here’s a quick video showing Ethan’s team competing on a “field of play”.  As you will see, the robotic teams built these amazing robots that are designed to perform several tasks during a “match”. This year, the robots get points for developing autonomous self-driving software, scoring goals and climbing poles. In addition, it’s really important that the robots can also play defense.

 

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Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway Winners Announced!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: March 18, 2024

Hi Everybody,

Thanks so much to everybody who participated in our Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway! In total, there were over 1,600 patients who entered the giveaway.

Here’s Grace Mason, an aortic valve patient from Cincinatti, Ohio, who had successful surgery with Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy at Mount Sinai in New York City.

 

Grace Mason - Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway Winner

 

And here is Valerie Allen, a bicuspid aortic valve and aneurysm patient, from South Carolina, who is having surgery with Dr. Eric Roselli at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

Valerie Allen - Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway

 

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New “8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients” Webinar Video Just Posted!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Experts: Mustafa Ahmed, MD; Gregory Fontana, MD; Heather Johnson, MD; Natalie Kelley, RN
Published: February 24, 2024

Amazing!

Our recent webinar, “8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”, had over 475 patients online together for this educational event with our expert panel of Dr. Heather Johnson (Preventive Cardiologist), Dr. Mustafa Ahmed (Interventional Cardiologist), Dr. Gregory Fontana (Cardiac Surgeon) and Natalie Kelley, RN (Valve Program Coordinator).

In case you missed it, here is a video replay of the webinar.

 

 

Thanks Drs. Ahmed, Fontana, Johnson, Natalie Kelley & Medtronic!

On behalf of our patient community, I want to extend an extraordinary “Thank You!” to Medtronic for sponsoring this fantastic event. I would also like to extend a tremendous thank you to the our expert panel for sharing their research and clinical experiences specific to the management and the treatment of heart valve disease!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Join 1,200 Heart Valve Patients on Today’s Webinar!

Written by: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: February 23, 2024

[February 23, 2024 Update: Our patient webinar, “8 Most-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”, was amazing! In case you missed it, you can now watch a webinar replay of the webinar at this link.]

Dear Patients and Friends,

The response to today’s webinar, “8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”, has been extraordinary. We now have over 1,200 patients registered for today’s special event at 6pm EST. Here’s more good news… You still have a few hours to join us for this FREE and LIVE community event.

 

Join the Heart Valve Day Webinar!

 

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Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway!!!

Written by: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: February 21, 2024

[February 23, 2024 Update: The sign-ups for our patient giveaway is no longer available.]

Woo-Hoo!!! This Thursday, February 22, is National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day!!!

To celebrate, let’s have a “Heart Valve Day Patient Giveaway” so that YOU can win HeartValveSurgery.com hats, shirts, water bottles and more.

 

 

It’s real simple to enter the giveaway. All you need to do is register for our FREE educational webinar, “8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”, being held this Thursday, February 22, at 6pm EST.  The winners will be announced after the webinar concludes. (Please note: If you have already registered for the webinar, you do not need to re-register for the event.)

Keep on tickin,
Adam

Special Webinar: The 8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients

Written by: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: February 23, 2024

[February 23, 2024 Update: Our patient webinar, “8 Most-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”, was amazing! In case you missed it, you can now watch a webinar replay of the webinar at this link.]

This Thursday, February 22, is National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day!!!  To celebrate, I’m hosting a special LIVE and FREE webinar titled, “The 8 Must-Know Tips for Heart Valve Patients”. Our world-renowned panel of webinar experts include Dr. Heather Johnson (Preventive Cardiologist), Dr. Mustafa Ahmed (Interventional Cardiologist), Dr. Gregory Fontana (Cardiac Surgeon) and Natalie Kelley, RN (Valve Program Coordinator). The one-hour webinar will start at 6pm EST.

 

Heart Valve Day Webinar Invitation

 

Also… During the webinar, an interactive “Questions & Answers” session will enable you to ask the experts your questions about heart valve disease.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Medtronic Welcomes Our Community To Its Headquarters!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: February 7, 2024

It’s not every day that I get invited to visit one of the world’s largest medical device companies. So, when Medtronic extended that invitation, I jumped on a plane bound for Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

HeartValveSurgery.com Visits Medtronic Headquarters

 

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“Ask Adam Anything” Gets Amazing Patient Response at STS!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: January 28, 2024

Dear Patients, Doctors & Friends,

I am downright overwhelmed by the recent response to our “Ask Adam Anything” event at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) in San Antonio, Texas!

 

2024 STS Conference in San Antonio, Texas

 

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Get Your Heart Valve Questions Answered By World-Renowned Experts at STS!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: January 25, 2024

Great news! This Saturday, January 27, I’m hosting a special “Ask Adam Anything” patient education session at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in San Antonio. During the meeting, I will have a special opportunity to ask YOUR questions to world-renowned doctors.

So… If you have a question about heart valve disease management and treatment, please email me at adam@heartvalvesurgery.com.  I will do my best to get your question answered by an expert on video. Then, we will post the answer to your question here at HeartValveSurgery.com.

 

Get Your Heart Valve Questions Answered at STS!

 

The heart valve experts joining me include Dr. Gianluca Torregrossa, Dr. Doug Johnston, Dr. Sabet Hashim, Dr. Michael Deeb, Dr. Junaid Khan, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Dr. Nicholas Lopez and Dr. Marc Gerdisch.

This is going to be fun!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Join 400 Patients on Today’s Webinar!

Written by: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: January 18, 2024

[Update: Our patient webinar with Penn Medicine was fantastic!!! To access the video playback of the webinar, please click here.]

I’m excited to announce that our LIVE and FREE patient education events continue this Thursday, January 18, with a special webinar, “Advances in Robotic Heart Valve Surgery”. Featured speakers include Dr. Pavan Atluri, Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery, and Dr. Michael Ibrahim, Director of Reconstructive Valve Surgery, at Penn Medicine. The one-hour webinar will start at 7pm EST.

 

Robotic Heart Valve Webinar

 

 

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“What About Planning & Outcomes For A Third Open-Heart Surgery?” asks Mitrina

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Marc Gerdisch, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health
Published: January 12, 2024

The HeartValveSurgery.com website started in 2006. That said, many patients in our community now need heart valve re-operations due to worn-out heart valve replacement devices and/or failing heart valve repairs. As a result, I am receiving many interesting questions from patients as they prepare for their second and third re-operation.

For example, I just received an email from Mitrina who asks, “Hi Adam – As a two-time open-heart surgery patient and a registered nurse, I am finding it very challenging to gather information for a third operation. My questions are “How frequent are third open-heart surgeries?”,  “What are the success rates?”, and “Does having a pacemaker have an impact on the success/failure of a third surgery?  You should also know that, prior to my last surgery, I was told that my valve is too small to qualify for a TAVR and have an acceptable quality of life. What am I up against so I can plan accordingly?”

 

 

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Dr. Eric Roselli, Patricia and I Connect at the National College Football Playoff!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: January 12, 2024

As many of you know… I became friends with Dr. Eric Roselli, the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, in the 1990s at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

That said, it was great to see Dr. Roselli in Houston on Monday when our Michigan Wolverines beat the Washington Huskies to become national college football champions for the first time since 1997. Woo-Hooo!!!

 

Dr. Eric Roselli and Adam PickDr. Roselli and Me

 
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Laura’s Warning About Symptoms, Disease Progression & Cardiac Catheterizations

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: January 11, 2024

I just received a very interesting and insightful email from Laura Holt about the symptoms, the progression, the diagnostic tests and the dangers of aortic stenosis. Considering that aortic stenosis is often under-diagnosed and under-treated, I wanted to share Laura’s experience with our community.

 

Laura Holt Aortic Stenosis PatientLaura Holt – Aortic Stenosis Patient

 
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My 18-Year Heart Valve Anniversary!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: December 21, 2023

Unbelievable!  Thanks to my wife, Robyn, and my son, Ethan, I was just reminded that today, December 21, 2023, is my 18th anniversary from heart valve surgery.

 

Adam Pick 18 Year Heart Valve Surgery Anniversary

 

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Take the Bicuspid Aortic Valve Patient Survey!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: December 15, 2023

[Friday, December 15, 2023 Update: With over 1,000 patient responses in just a few days, our Bicuspid Aortic Valve Patient Survey is now complete. Thanks so much to all the wonderful patients in our community who shared their experiences specific to the diagnosis and treatment of bicuspid aortic valves.]

Hi Patients,

Can I ask you for a quick favor? To help future patients, I want to learn more about the experiences of bicuspid aortic valve patients.

That said, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts if you currently have a bicuspid aortic valve or if you previously had a bicuspid aortic valve operation.

 

Bicuspid Aortic Valve Survey

 

In advance, thanks so much for your help!

I really appreciate it!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

True or False: Aortic Stenosis Treatment Increased 100% in Just 8 Years

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Michael Mack, MD, Baylor Scott & White Health
Published: December 4, 2023

As we have discussed many times at this blog, heart valve disease is under-diagnosed and under-treated.  In fact, leading physicians that specialize in the treatment of aortic stenosis, a narrow aortic valve, often refer to this disease as a “silent killer”.  As you can read in this article, “The Aortic Stenosis Danger Zone Is Here”, one of those physicians is Dr. Michael Mack, who is the Medical Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery for Baylor Scott & White Health (BSW) and the Chairman of BSW The Heart Hospital – Plano Research Center.

 

Aortic Stenosis Treatment: True or False

 

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Wow! The Controversies & Advances in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease Symposium!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: December 4, 2023

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the “Controversies and Advances in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease Symposium” in Los Angeles, California.  This annual conference was organized by Dr. Raj Makkar and hosted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

 

Controversies and Advances in Cardiovascular Disease Treatment ConferenceDr. Raj Makkar & Me

 
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In Uganda, I Am Thankful for Mohammed’s Life-Saving Surgery

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: November 23, 2023

I am happy to share that Mohammed, a courageous 14-year-old boy from Uganda who suffered from severe mitral valve regurgitation, just had successful heart surgery.

As you might recall, the HeartValveSurgery.com community sponsored Mohammed’s life-saving cardiac surgery at the Uganda Heart Institute. That said, I am especially thankful this Thanksgiving holiday for your support of Mohammed and his family. To learn about Mohammed’s journey to a healthy heart, click here.

 

Mohammad Gift of Life Heart Surgery Patient

 

Our 5th Child Saved!

This is the fifth time since starting HeartValveSurgery.com that we have sponsored a life-saving cardiac surgery for a child with heart disease. Amazing! Thank you!

Here are links to the children we have previously helped:

Keep on tickin’ Mohammed!  I hope to meet you someday!
Adam

Susan Is Thankful for Her Three Sons, Dr. Frank, Rush University & Her Cow Valve Replacement

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: November 23, 2023

With Thanksgiving upon us, it was great to receive this note from Susan about her health, her three sons and her cow valve.

 

Mitral Cow Valve Replacement PatientSusan Ward (Heart Valve Patient) With Her Children

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