Home > Adam's Blog > Surgeons & Hospitals > Minimally Invasive Specialist, University of Virginia Advanced Cardiac Valve Center, Launches Microsite!

Minimally Invasive Specialist, University of Virginia Advanced Cardiac Valve Center, Launches Microsite!

By Adam Pick on November 7, 2013

In 2010, I was very lucky to tour the UVA Advanced Cardiac Valve Center at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. During my visit, I observed a transcatheter MitraClip procedure performed by Dr. Scott Lim and Dr. Gorav Ailawadi. Since then, I have met several other members of the UVA team — including Dr. Irving Kron and Dr. John Kern. Together, this team of dedicated cardiologists and surgeons has treated many patients in our community like Robert Elliot, Todd Breeden and Susan Houk.

For these reasons, I am very excited to announce that the UVA Advanced Cardiac Valve Center just launched a Heart Valve Clinic Microsite at HeartValveSurgery.com. So you know, the University of Virginia provides patients many options for valvular care. As a complement to its traditional surgical approaches, the UVA team has also pioneered and participated in several clinical trials for minimally invasive techniques include transcatheter aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair.

UVA Advanced Cardiac Valve Center Microsite

On behalf of the patient and caregiver community at HeartValveSurgery.com, I would like to thank all of the members of the UVA Advanced Cardiac Valve Center for its support of our website — with a special thanks to Dr. Kron, Dr. Lim, Dr. Kern, Dr. Ailawadi, Meghan Bradley, Adam Printy and Ginger Aylor.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Written by Adam Pick
- Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

Patricia says on November 12th, 2013 at 4:00 pm

Hi Adam,
I´ve been a follower of your blog for quite a time.
Maybe you could answer my question:
Are we considered disabled swimmers if we have a mitral metal valve and a pacemaker? I know you are a swimmer as I (though I´m a proud master!)
thanks for your info, Pat

Mary Martha Baskin says on November 12th, 2013 at 10:10 pm

Adam, I bought your book about two years ago. About five years ago, my new primary care doctor was worried about a heart murmur. She had me go to a heart doctor that visits our small town Alabama from his practice in Mobile, Alabama once each month.

The outcome of that exam and test was an aortic valve with a mean number of 30. The doctor on the follow-up visit said, “You know what this means, don’t you?” “no, sir” was my reply. “Eventually, you’ll most likely need open heart surgery.” Well, the mean reading in November, 2012 was 61. It hadn’t jumped all that way at once, but had gotten there gradually. A more sensitive ecogram machine was used in August, 2013. It gave a mean of 59 and another number of 93.

I asked what is the ‘drop dead’ (bad choice of words) number? Doc said there is no certian number, but that I would tell him by my systems when my body was ready. As I said in the first sentence, I have read enough in your book, to know that answer didn’t have the ring of truth!

I took my last echogram report to another cardiologist in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Second opinion, “You seem to be a very healthy 70 year old, that would benefit from surgery in the few weeks.” A heart catheterization showed no blockages, but a badly calcified bicuspid aortic valve.

There are apparnently only two surgents in Birmingham doing the robotic proceedures and no one in the state doing the ‘mini sternotomy ‘. I am also insistant in having bloodless surgery. I’m just not ready to go the robot route.

Should I give up and go full open heart with a bloodless program in Tuscaloosa, or look at a Dr.Neelan Doolabh in Tyler,TX that does the mini sternotomy? I was first made aware of this doctor by one his patients who shares my view on bloodless surgery. The only bad thing about her experience was she suffered a stroke as a result of her surgery….no sure thing in this life we live…Sincerly, mmb

Sidney Nash says on November 20th, 2013 at 2:43 pm

MMB,

I had the mini sternotomy done by Dr. Chad Hughes at Duke University in Durham NC. I can’t say enough good things about how I was treated. He is not a huge talker so don’t expect a lot of hand holding, but the residents and nurses and nurse practitioners answered every question. Duke is the #6 cardiac hospital in the country per US News & World Report. Any questions, please email me at sidneynash@yahoo.com. I too had a bicuspid aortic valve and replaced with a cow valve. It will be 7 wks tomorrow and I feel better with more energy.