Great news everybody!

I am attending the Heart Valve Summit in Chicago. While there, I will have a special opportunity to ask your questions directly to valvular specialists including Dr. Gillinov, Dr. Adams, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Martin, Dr. Bolling, Dr. Accola and more. Their responses will be filmed and posted at this blog.

So… If you have a question — about anything related to heart valve disorders, symptoms, surgical approaches or valve replacement devices — please  click the “ASK YOUR QUESTION” button above, email me directly or leave a comment here. I will do my best to get your questions answered as soon as possible.

Keep on tickin!

The Internet never ceases to amaze me…

We recently launched a new section of this website that contains our heart valve surgery videos. I just learned that, in a very short time, the number of playbacks has soared to over 19,000 views. If you were unaware of these videos, they feature your questions which are asked directly to leading heart valve surgeons.

Dr. Shemin and Adam Answer Your Questions At STS

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Sato sent me a very interesting question about bicuspid aortic valve repair. He writes, “Hi Adam – I’m 61. I’ve been diagnosed with bicuspid aortic valve and severe regurgitation. I’ve been told a repair is possible. During surgery, does the bicuspid aortic valve become a tricuspid valve?”

While at the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons conference, I was able to ask Sato’s question to Dr. Lars Svensson, the Director of the Aorta Program at The Cleveland Clinic. As you may know, Dr. Svensson, is highly regarded for his work with bicuspid aortic valves.

Thanks to Sato for his question and a special thanks to Dr. Lars Svensson for sharing his clinical research with our community. To learn more about Dr. Svensson and his patients, please click here.

For those of you who are hearing impaired, I have provided a transcript of this interview below…

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As a follow-up to our recent discussion about chest pain and sternum wires, Jane sent me a great question about incision closure techniques. She writes, “Hi Adam – I’ve read good and bad things about the use of wires to close the sternum.  Are there any other technologies used to help the chest heal? Thanks, Jane”

Luckily, I was able to ask this exact question to Dr. Jai Raman, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, Illinois. I thought you might like to see the interview highlights from our discussion about a new technology called sternal plating.

Thanks to Jane for her question and a special thanks to Dr. Jai Raman for taking the time to share his clinical experience and research about sternal plating and rigid fixation for open heart surgery patients.

For those members of our community who are hearing impaired, I have provided a written transcript of this video interview below:

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As Jim, Sara & Chris prepare for heart valve surgery this week, I wanted them to know that my thoughts are with them and their families.

To learn about their stories, please visit their Heart Valve Journals by clicking the links below:

• Jim Davis is having surgery for a bicuspid aortic valve and dilated aortic root
• Sara Sayle is having surgery for a bicuspid aortic valve
• Chris Hanson is having surgery for severe mitral regurgitation

Keep on tickin’ Jim, Sara & Chris!