Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

I just received a question about the Ross Procedure for aortic valve replacement from Evelyn.

She writes, “Adam - The stenosis in my aortic valve is getting worse and I’m starting to feel the symptoms. My valve has been upgraded to severe stenosis from moderate status and it looks like surgery is in my future. I’m investigating my options and considering the Ross Procedure. By chance, do you know how many Ross Procedures are performed each year? Thanks, Evelyn”

Evelyn raises a great question. In fact, when I first learned of the Ross Procedure, as an alternative to traditional approaches, I thought to myself, “Sound goods. But, what is the surgical success rate of the Ross Procedure? And… How many of those procedures have been done?”

In talking with Dr. Vaughn Starnes (my surgeon), Dr. Donald Ross (the inventor of the procedure) and doing my own research, I learned that the Ross Procedure is definitely NOT performed as frequently as bioprosthetic and mechanical valve replacements. In fact, several surgeons do not favor the procedure as it requires a double valve replacement - the pulmonary valve is replaced with a homograft.

However, the more I learned about the Ross Procedure, its patient advantages, the surgical statistics of the Ross Procedure and Dr. Starnes’ familiarity with the procedure (he had performed over 200 Ross Procedures at the time), this option made sense for me. Three years later… I’m doing great.

Now, specific to Evelyn’s question…

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Since my heart valve surgery, I have been fascinated by the strategic, corporate acquisitions of leading device manufacturers in this industry.

In fact, I began writing about the ongoing consolidation of heart valve manufacturers years ago. As of late, the “urge-to-merge” has really focused on the minimally invasive technologies for both heart valve repair and heart valve replacement.

That said, it was somewhat expected that a company like Evalve, with its MitraClip technology for mitral regurgitation, would be acquired. However, for some reason, I didn’t think that Abbot Laboratories would be the gobbler. I thought Edwards or Medtronic or St. Jude might be the buyer. (Then again, I think Abbot was one of Evalve’s investors.)

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In case you missed it, Research and Markets just published their “Top 25 Manufacturers of Heart Valve Repair And Heart Valve Replacement Devices” for 2009 (shown below).

Given my ongoing interest in this market, I was intrigued by the vast assortment of company names on this list. Some of these brands were new to me. And, given the ongoing consolidation of this industry, some of the brands referenced were very familiar.

Personally, I find the power of brands ab-sooooo-lutely fascinating. In business school, I attended many classes that focused on strategic brand management and its impact upon customers, the competition and success metrics. For example, I am always amazed when I review a valuation analysis of the world’s number one brand, Coca Cola. Did you know, in 2005, the Coke brand was valued at over $70 billion dollars? (The second most popular brand, Microsoft, was valued at $59 billion.)

Coke: The Number One Brand In The World

“Why is Adam writing about this in a blog about heart valve surgery?” you might be wondering.

Well…

Over the years, I have spoke with thousands of heart valve surgery patients about their valve replacement devices.  I find it very curious when I ask them a simple question, “Which brand of heart valve replacement do you have?”

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I’m fascinated by the different tools and technologies that help surgeons reconstruct the human heart.

On this point, I just came across an interesting video about the use of extracellular matrix for heart valve repair. In this educational video, Dr. Marc Gerdisch of the St. Francis Heart Center describes extracellular matrix and how it is being used to enhance tissue function in repaired mitral valves.

If you have never heard the term before, extracellular matrix is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is considered one of the defining features of connective tissue in animals.

Thanks to Dr. Gerdisch for taking the time to create this helpful video!

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.