As a follow-up to our recent discussion about chest pain and sternum wires, Jane sent me a great question about incision closure techniques. She writes, “Hi Adam – I’ve read good and bad things about the use of wires to close the sternum.  Are there any other technologies used to help the chest heal? Thanks, Jane”

Luckily, I was able to ask this exact question to Dr. Jai Raman, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, Illinois. I thought you might like to see the interview highlights from our discussion about a new technology called sternal plating.

Thanks to Jane for her question and a special thanks to Dr. Jai Raman for taking the time to share his clinical experience and research about sternal plating and rigid fixation for open heart surgery patients.

For those members of our community who are hearing impaired, I have provided a written transcript of this video interview below:

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Since writing my book and launching this website, I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing people. One such person is Dr. Marc Gillinov of The Cleveland Clinic. Not only is Dr. Gillinov an incredible surgeon but he is a patient advocate and a proactive supporter of our community.

That said, I was thrilled to interview Dr. Gillinov about the important — but sometimes overlooked — topic of cardiac depression. As I personally experienced, cardiac depression can be an unexpected and unnecessary pitfall during the recovery from heart valve surgery.

To learn more about Dr. Gillinov and read several patient testimonials for Dr. Gillinov, please click here. Finally, to help those patients and caregivers who are hearing impaired, I have provided a video transcript below:

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Within minutes of posting “CoreValve Technology Get E.U. Approval”, I received two excellent questions from Jim and Mark. Their questions were, “Can the CoreValve system treat aortic regurgitation?” and “Can the CoreValve technology replace my bicuspid aortic valve?”

To provide Jim, Mark and everybody else a thoughtful response, I contacted Dr. Eric Roselli, MD, a heart surgeon from The Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Allan Stewart, a heart surgeon from Columbia University Medical Center. Here are their responses:

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Patricia just sent me an interesting question about heart valve surgery recovery.

She writes, “Adam – I had mitral valve repair via the Da Vinci robot on December 15th, 2009. For the 1st time in my life, I have a fully functioning heart with NO murmur!  I have been recuperating for the last 6 months and I am getting progressively better, a little at a time. My question to you is this:  How long did it take for you to fully feel like “YOU” again?  It has been 6 months, and I still don’t feel 100% yet. Thanks, Patricia.”

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I just received an interesting question from Bill about heart valve surgery and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Bill writes, “Hi Adam – I had my aortic valve replaced and the aortic root repaired. After leaving the hospital, I slept in a recliner for three weeks, had frequent dizzy spells, back spasms and felt like I was in a fog. I was told by the doctors the dizzy spells and the fog was the anesthesia. After the third week, the fog lifted and I was able to walk at a brisk pace for 4 miles. Life was looking and I was feeling good. Then the big disappointment, I over did it! Back to the dizzy spells, back spasms and fatigue. It took me four weeks to recover. I’m in my 6th week after surgery and wondering when Cardiac Rehab should start? Thanks! Bill Weeks”

Although Bill’s note ended with a question about cardiac rehab, there is much to learn from his email. Specifically, Bill addresses several issues that can arise during the early recovery from heart valve surgery – dizzy spells, use of a recliner, disappointments and, most importantly, over-exertion.

That said, please do not rush your recovery. As we have discussed before, healing is a unique patient process that takes variable amounts of time.

As for cardiac rehab, I encourage everyone – young and mature – to locate a good cardiac rehab program… before surgery.

The benefits of cardiac rehab are not only physical but emotional as well. Doctor Robert J. Matthews, a cardiologist and internal medicine physician in Los Angeles, notes, “Although cardiac rehabilitation programs are usually thought of as primarily exercise programs, they also offer psychological benefits that tend to help resolve transient depression. Patients who have participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation program are more likely to return to work and to report a more satisfactory quality of life.”

Dr. Robert J. Matthews – Cardiologist

Reports suggest that between 30%-75% of heart surgery patients experience some form of depression, as referenced by Dr. Matthews. So you know, I was one of them. There is no doubt in my mind that the cardiac rehabilitation program at Torrance Memorial Hospital helped me through this challenging time. (Even with the known benefits of these programs, cardiac rehab centers remain under-utilized, as recently suggested by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.)

Now… Specific to Bill’s question, I started my cardiac rehab program 10 weeks after surgery. I went to cardiac rehab 2-3 times a week and really, really, really enjoyed it. I made several new friends (including the nurses) and, most importantly, my chest pain went away.

Adam At Torrance Memorial Cardiac Rehab Program

So that is part of my cardiac rehab story. Luckily, several former heart surgery patients visit this blog. That said, I’m hoping you can help Bill by answering the question, “When did you start cardiac rehab?” In advance, thanks for sharing your experience! (Already, 20+ comments are provided below.)

Keep on tickin!