Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Some might find this video a bit too graphic. Others, like me, might find this educational video an incredible testament to the unique surgical skills needed to fix defective heart valves.

That said, I’ll let you decide what you think about this double heart valve replacement (also known as the Ross Procedure) video narrated by Dr. Paul Stelzer, of Mount Sinai Hospital, in New York.

If you didn’t know, the Ross Procedure is a unique, double valve surgery in which the patient’s own pulmonary valve (the autograft) is removed and then stitched into the aortic valve position. A homograft (human donor valve) is then used as the pulmonary valve replacement.

Continue reading this post »

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?”

Continue reading this post »

Okay… Ready for some heart anatomy trivia?

The question is, “How much blood moves through your heart valves in one hour?”

A. 5 gallons
B. 10 gallons
C. 50 gallons
D. 100 gallons
E. 500 gallons of blood

To find out the answer, scroll below the beating heart.

Continue reading this post »

I’m not sure if you saw the Incision Shield posts from last week.

But… After I gave away 10 free Incision Shields, my inbox continued to receive over 100 additional requests for this protective device designed for open heart surgery patients.

That said, on your behalf, I approached the Incision Shield team to see if they would provide our website with an exclusive discount for those patients and caregivers willing to purchase this unique product. Scott Joy, the owner of Incision Shield, considered my request and created a very good discount for our community.

So… If you have any interest in (i) learning more about the Incision Shield or (ii) purchasing an Incision Shield to help with your recovery, simply click this link:

Incision Shield - Exclusive Discount For Visitors Of Heart-Valve-Surgery.com

I hope this helps everybody!

Keep on tickin!