Every once in a while I see a product that makes me think, “Huh?”, “What?”, “No way!”, “Can’t be!” and “Really?” The last time I had that thought was when the marketeers at Chia America released… Chia Obama.

Today, I find myself thinking, “Huh?”, “What?”, “No way!”, “Can’t be!” and “Really?!” once again.

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Here’s a great question from Bruce about mitral valve repairs, annuloplasty rings and post-operative complications.

Bruce writes, “Hi Adam, I read your book about a year ago, before my surgery, and have faithfully read your newsletter. What have you ever heard about patients who had mitral valve repairs via open heart surgery and afterwards find the repair ring was a bit tight resulting in irregularities showing up in treadmill stress echocardiograms and shortness of breath? Thanks, Bruce”

While Bruce raises a great question, I didn’t have a great answer. That said, I contacted Dr. Paul Massimiano, from Inova Heart & Vascular Institute, in Falls Church, Virginia.

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Jim just sent me this question about post-operative echocardiograms. He writes, “Adam – How often should an echocardiogram be performed after surgery. I had my aortic valve replaced. Thanks, Jim”

As I’ve shared before, each patient situation is unique. However, unless there are post-operative complications, many of the patients I speak with have an echocardiogram performed once a year. FYI, I’m one of those patients. Each December, I spend 30 minutes with Loretta, the technician at Torrance Memorial Hospital, for the echocardiogram. After that, Dr. Rosin, my cardiologist, reviews the film with me. So far, so good.

If you would like to learn more about echocardiograms, I just found this educational video that is pretty helpful. I also found the video below which addresses mitral regurgitation.

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