Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog

My wife, Robyn, loves the television show Grey’s Anatomy.

That said, on Thursday nights, after Ethan goes to bed, we enjoy watching the trials-and-tribulations of the fictitious Seattle Grace Hospital.

I will admit, the writers of Grey’s Anatomy do a great job developing likable characters (Meredith, McDreamy, The Chief) that are caught in a perpetual whirlwind of personal, professional and medical drama.

However, I want to gently remind us all that Grey’s Anatomy is, to some extent, written and produced to garner ratings and large advertising budgets.

“Why the heck is Adam posting about Grey’s Anatomy?” you might be wondering.

Well, in a recent episode, one of the stories within the hour-long show was about a female patient, late-40s, who needed… Yes, you guessed it… Heart valve replacement surgery.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Vince Gaudiani has provided us with several insightful videos in the past. As you might recall, we recently featured Dr. Gaudiani’s two-part video series about heart valve surgery. Given Dr. Gaudiani’s 25-year career as a cardiac surgeon, this video was applauded by our patient and caregiver community.

Yesterday, I learned from Dr. Gaudiani that he has created a new video titled, “How To Think About Surgical Outcomes?” Considering our ongoing discussion about (i) how to manage patient expectations and (ii) how to prepare for surgery, I found this video very, very, very interesting.

Above, you will find the first part of the video. In the next few days, I will post the second part. Simply press the play button and make sure the volume on your computer is on.

[BLOG UPDATE: TO WATCH PART II OF THIS VIDEO, PLEASE CLICK HERE.]

Thanks to Dr. Gaudiani for taking the time to share his unique experiences, thoughts and data. It should be no surprise that if you visit our Heart Surgeon Database, Dr. Gaudiani has received several glowing reviews from our patient community. (Just type “Gaudiani” in the last name search field.)

Keep on tickin!

P.S. To leave a comment, please click here.

Bedora just sent me an interesting question about the use of Cordarone before heart surgery. If you are unfamiliar with Cordarone, this drug is used as an anti-arrhythmic. It works by stabilizing the heart rhythm in conditions in which the heart is beating too fast or in an irregular rhythm.

In her note, Bedora requests patient inputs specific to the use of Cordarone prior to surgery. Personally, I did not need to use Cordarone. Did you? If so, maybe you can leave Bedora a comment after reading her story?

Read the rest of this entry »

I just opened an email from John about bovine valve replacement devices and re-operations. I provided some thoughts for John below but perhaps you can help him as well?

John writes, “Hi Adam – Because of a post-operative complication (possible suture failure creating a leak), it appears I will be facing a re-operation to replace my bovine aortic valve. How can I get some advice from other folks who have encountered this problem?”

Obviously, John raises a good question. So you know, I am aware of several patients that required re-operations for most types of valve replacement devices including cow valves, porcine valves and mechanical valves.

Read the rest of this entry »