Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Sarah just sent me this fascinating story about a new super glue, called Kryptonite, used to accelerate sternum healing following open heart surgery. I thought you might appreciate this medical advance featured in Science Daily:

Dr. Paul Fedak - Heart Surgeon & Scientist

Canadian researchers have pioneered a new way to mend a patient’s breastbone after open-heart surgery, using a Superman-strength glue that cuts healing time and reduces pain.The technique uses a state-of-the-art adhesive called Kryptonite that rapidly bonds to bone and accelerates the recovery process, says Dr. Paul Fedak, a cardiac surgeon and scientist at the University of Calgary.

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I just received a great question from Lauren about aortic valve replacement and robotic surgery.

Lauren writes, “Hi Adam - I’ve read about the use of the da Vinci robot for mitral valve repair. But, I’m curious to know if the robot is ever used for patients with other valve disorders. I have aortic stenosis, due to a bicuspid valve, and would like to have minimally invasive surgery. Any thoughts? Thanks, Lauren”

The da Vinci Surgical Robot

If Lauren would have sent me this question two weeks ago, my response would have been something like, “From what I know, the only clinical valvular use of the da Vinci Robot is for mitral repair.”

However, earlier this week, ATS Medical announced some very interesting news about robotic surgical approaches using a biological valve replacement, known as the ATS 3f Aortic Bioprosthesis.

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Edwards Lifesciences, the world’s largest heart valve replacement manufacturer, continued to impress industrial and financial analysts after it reported another great earnings report earlier this week.

The company, based in Irvine, California, saw its profits more than double thanks to rising sales of replacement heart valves - including its new valve, known as the Edwards SAPIEN Valve.

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Considering my fascination with medical technology, I recently came across an interesting video about the use of stem cells to create heart valve replacements for the treatment of valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. That said, I thought you might find this video very interesting:

In the past, I have written several stories about stem cell use for heart valve development. Here is one story which chronicles Dr. Magdi Yacoub’s ongoing research about heart valve replacements generated by stem cells.

Keep on tickin!

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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.