July 13th, 2010
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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July 11th, 2010
This is a special guest blog by Greg O’Keeffe. I thought you might really appreciate hearing about Greg’s recovery, Dr. Stewart’s unique connection with his patients, and their combined athletic and charitable efforts. Here is what Greg wrote me:
Dear Adam,
The first time I teamed up with Dr. Allan Stewart, I was in an operating room at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City on May 20th, 2008. It was a near perfect match given what we brought to the table. Dr. Stewart brought surgical expertise. I brought a constricted aortic valve that needed a fix. (I was 26 years old at the time of my aortic valve replacement.)
Now, 26 months after surgery… We are teaming up again to compete in the 2010 New York City Triathlon on July 18th.
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July 10th, 2010
This past Wednesday, Dr. Eric Roselli, a leading heart surgeon from The Cleveland Clinic, hosted an exclusive internet chat with our patient and caregiver community. Thanks to your questions and your participation, this was a very active and educational chat that is now available in a written transcript.
To download the official transcript (in pdf format), simply click here to save the file to your computer. Please note, you must use Adobe Reader to open and review the transcript. You can download a free copy of Adobe Reader software by clicking here. (FYI, most computers come with this software pre-loaded.)
Thanks to the Patient Education Team at The Cleveland Clinic – Betsy, Megan, Samiya – for coordinating this event. Thanks to you for your attendance and questions. And, a special thanks to Dr. Eric Roselli for sharing his time and expertise with all of us.
Have a great weekend!
Keep on tickin!
July 9th, 2010
For those of you following the heart valve replacement recovery of Barbara Walters… I just learned that Barbara Walters will appear on “The View” this Monday, July 12, eight weeks after surgery.
According to reports, the 80-year old recipient of an aortic valve replacement, will appear – via video – briefly during the show founded by Mrs. Walters. As you may recall, Barbara had heart valve surgery due to severe aortic stenosis at the beginning of May, 2010.
In what will be her first nationally televised appearance since undergoing heart valve replacement surgery in May, “The View” creator, executive producer and co-host Barbara Walters will appear on the show live, via Skype, on Monday, July 12. — ABC News
Keep on tickin’ Barbara!
July 7th, 2010
This is an exciting time for the medical treatment of diseased heart valves. As demonstrated in prior blogs, unique technologies are rapidly evolving to correct heart valve disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. That said, conversations specific to minimally invasive heart valve procedures often stimulate exciting clinical and patient possibilities.
Dr. Husam Balkhy – Chairman of Cardiac Surgery,
The Wisconsin Heart Hospital
On this note, I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Husam Balkhy, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. As you may remember, Dr. Balkhy has been intimately involved in the adaptive use of the Da Vinci surgical robot for aortic valve replacement surgery.
If you are interested in learning more about the current and future use of robotics for aortic valve replacement, please read the interview notes provided below:
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