Here’s a great patient success story about John Doss, a 56-year old Karate instructor from Michigan. Doctor Ali Kafi, Chief of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery, from Detroit Medical Center, performed the aortic valve replacement.

During the video, Dr. Ali Kafi references the use of a mini-sternotomy. To give you a visual comparison of a mini-sternotomy incision versus a full sternotomy scar, please consider the pictures below. The first picture shows a patient with a mini-sternotomy.

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As we have previously discussed, heart valve disease can be genetic. In my family, it appears that a gene for congenital bicuspid aortic valve runs through our DNA.

To this point, I just came across a good, educational video about two related patients – Joanne Kennedy and her daughter, Laura. Both Joanne and Laura required heart valve surgery by Dr. Patrick McCarthy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Here is a video which details their story:

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As many of you know, I am a technology enthusiast. I love seeing the ways technology can improve our lives – especially when it comes to heart valve surgery. One of the newer technologies in this industry is the MitraClip which is used to treat mitral regurgitation (which results from leaky heart valves).

Over the past few months, I continue to receive more-and-more inquiries regarding this non-invasive form of mitral valve repair. In fact, I just opened an email from Anthony that says, “I’m a 45 year-old male just diagnosed with mitral regurgitation…. I’m basically in shock… Do you have any information on the MitraClip?”

While Evalve, Inc., the company which makes the MitraClip, has been around since 1999, recent studies about this percutaneous repair device have been encouraging. On May 14, 2009, it was announced that the first 100 patients have been treated with the MitraClip system in Europe. Of the procedures performed to date, 93% were considered successful. Then, a week later, additional results published from the EVEREST High Risk Registry showed the MitraClip as an effective surgical treatment for mitral regurgitation in high risk patients.

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Alright. Let’s keep learning about heart valve surgery.

To do that, I have posted an excellent video about “The Basics of Heart Valve Surgery” by Dr. Vincent Gaudiani, a leading heart surgeon in Northern California. This video (i) discusses heart valve replacement devices and (ii) provides a special glimpse into the people and machines that function in an actual operating room.

Please note, this is PART II of Dr. Gaudiani’s educational video. To view PART I of the video, please click here. And, please remember to make sure the sound on your personal computer is turned on-and-up.

I LOVE what Dr. Gaudiani says during this video. Specific to heart surgery, Dr. Gaudiani states, “Reality is often less bothersome than one’s fantasy about these things.” So you know, that is exactly why I developed this website and wrote my book… To help YOU learn about the realities of cardiac surgery before, during and after cardiac surgery.

As you will hear, Dr. Gaudiani references several topics specific to heart valve surgery during this video. You may or may not be familiar with these terms. For that reason, I have provided supplemental information via the hyperlinks below. Feel free to click on these links to learn more:

• Mechanical heart valve replacement versus tissue heart valves
• Anti-coagulant medication – Coumadin therapy
• Leaking heart valves
• Heart Valve Leaflets (mitral valve)
• Stenotic heart valves (aortic stensosis)
• Enlarged, thicker heart muscles
• The heart-lung machine – How does it work?

I hope this video helps you better understand the realities of heart surgery!!!

Thanks again Dr. Gaudiani!!!

Keep on tickin!

If there is one thing I know from experience, heart surgery can have a profound emotional, physical and spiritual impact on patients and… their caregivers.

That said, here is a touching video update that shows an emotional, teary-eyed George Bush as he discusses Barbara Bush’s recovery from heart surgery. As you may know, the aortic valve of her heart was replaced with a pig valve.

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