I just received a great email from Mike about heart valve replacements. Mike writes, “Adam – I’ve got a severely leaky valve and need mitral surgery. I’m 55 and never knew about my prolapsed valve. Just curious… If the surgeon can’t repair my leaflets, how much do the replacement devices cost? Thanks, Mike”

Like Mike, I had this same question when I was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis. I wanted to know just how much this little medical device cost.

As you might imagine, obtaining pricing data on heart valve replacement devices is a bit difficult. You can’t just run down to your local Wal-Mart and order an ATS Open Pivot Valve. And, you definitely can’t purchase a Medtronic Freestyle pig valve from Amazon.com.

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I just received a very unique question from Barb about carcinoid tumor injections and bovine heart valve replacements. Barb writes to me:

Bovine Aortic Valve Replacement

Hi Adam,

First, I’d like to express my appreciation to you for your very informative book and emails.  I am a 54-year-old woman who was aware of aortic valve stenosis since the age of 16, and finally had an aortic bovine valve replacement in January 2009.  I also had an aortic root aneurysm repair.  I’ve done very well in my recovery, and found your book extremely helpful.

I was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer in 2001.  Surgery was all that was required at that time.  I know that carcinoid cancer and valve problems often go hand-in-hand, although I’ve been told by my doctor that it’s not usually the aortic valve that is involved.  In November 2009, my carcinoid cancer returned.

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I just received a great question from Diane about heart valve replacements.

Diane writes, “Adam – Yesterday, I was diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation. My cardiologist said I should start planning on having my heart valve replaced soon. I’m confused by all of this. One thing I can’t figure out is where will the new valve goes? Do you have any pictures that could help me visualize this? Diane”

To see how a heart valve replacement device is positioned in the mitral location, please review the picture above. As you can see, a mitral valve replacement – which is typically a tissue valve or a mechanical valve – is inserted where the defective valve previously resided in the heart.

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Are you ready for some very interesting heart valve surgery trivia?

The question for today is, “When was the first successful mitral valve repair surgery?”

Your multiple choice answers are:

A. 1935
B. 1948
C. 1955
D. 1968
E. 1971

Scroll down below the mitral valve repair diagram for the answer.

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This is pretty neat…

One day, out of nowhere, I received a call from Lindsay Clark, Director of Health Programs, of the Alliance for Aging Research. If you didn’t know, the Alliance for Aging Research is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and accelerating medical discoveries.

It turns out that Lindsay’s team is currently working on some unique initiatives specific to heart valves – specifically aortic stenosis. As a result, Lindsay asked me if I would consider doing an interview to help educate patients and caregivers. I said, “Sounds great!”

If you have any interest in listening to the 15 minute interview, simply press the gray, play button below. Also, the interview was done by telephone, so you may have to turn up the sound on your computer.

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO BANDWIDTH LIMITATIONS ON MY SERVER, THIS INTERVIEW IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I WILL ATTEMPT TO REPOST THE INTERVIEW IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

Keep on tickin!