Archive for the 'Aortic Valve Replacement' Category

If you have not heard of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), this post will introduce you to a breakthrough technology that recently received FDA approval for ‘inoperable’ and ‘high risk’ patients with severe aortic stenosis. If you have already heard of TAVI, the video below will provide you the latest update about TAVI from Dr. Michael Mack, a heart valve guru, a past-president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and one of the clinical pioneers of TAVI at The Heart Hospital in Dallas, Texas — where he practices.

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Over the years, I have been very fortunate to know Sara Bloomfield. I first shared Sara’s story in 2011 – after Sara and her husband, Matt, became pregnant while closely monitoring her bicuspid aortic valve, dilated aorta and coarctation of the descending aorta. Then, in 2012, we celebrated the birth of their daughter, Olivia.

Now, after several years of “watchful waiting”, Sara is scheduled for aortic valve replacement and aorta repair surgery on March 21.

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As many patients will tell you… Waking up in an intensive care unit (ICU) after heart valve surgery can be a very dislocating experience. Personally, I remember thinking, “Holy moly! What the heck just happened? What are all those noises? And, why is this massive tube stuck down my throat?”

For that reason, I am always incredibly sensitive to patient questions that address time spent in the ICU. As you will read below, I recently received a question from a Concerned Wife about dementia and delirium after cardiac surgery.

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Great news!!!

Last week, over 150 patients and caregivers registered for a special online webinar titled, “Advancements in Aortic Valve Surgery”. During the event, Dr. Charles Davidson and Dr. Chris Malaisrie discussed transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), a new technology for aortic valve replacement that requires no incision to the patient’s sternum.

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This Wednesday, November 7th, I am going to host a live, online webinar titled, “Advancements in Aortic Valve Surgery” with Dr. Davidson and Dr. Malaisrie from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Already, over 100 patients have registered for this webinar! Given the exciting topic of this educational event, I have received several questions about the webinar from our community. To help you learn more, I have provided below the top five questions about this webinar below.

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Amazing news!

Earlier this week, I announced our upcoming educational webinar titled, “Advancements in Aortic Valve Surgery”. Since that announcement, over 100 patients and caregivers have registered for the event that will feature Dr. Davidson and Dr. Malaisrie of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

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I am excited to announce that we will be hosting a Live Educational Webinar about the latest advancements in aortic valve surgery including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The webinar — which is free for all patients and caregivers — will be held on Wednesday, November 7 from 12pm-1pm CST.

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As we continue to monitor the roll-out of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) technologies, I just learned about a recent study for the CoreValve.

Medtronic CoreValve TAVI Device

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I recently received a great question from Kerrigan about heart murmurs after heart valve surgery. In his email, Kerrigan writes, “Hi Adam – I had aortic valve replacement with a porcine valve three years ago. Since the valve replacement, I’ve had a detectible murmur that has not changed since the first, post-op baseline echocardiogram. Is it common to have a murmur after heart valve surgery?”

To answer Kerrigan’s question, I met with Dr. Luis Castro, MD, the Medical Director of Sequoia Heart Institute. During his career, Dr. Castro has performed over 3,000 heart valve procedures. You can see the highlights of our discussion in this video. For the patients in our community who are hearing impaired, I have provided a transcript below.

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In case you missed it… The Sorin Group, a leading manufacturer of heart valve replacement devices, recently announced that its Perceval Sutureless Heart Valve Replacement device received a CE Mark for extended indications in Europe.

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