Heart Valve Surgery Videos For Patients & Caregivers

Since launching this website in 2006, our mission has been to help you reduce stress, know what to expect and enhance recovery. To realize that goal, we recently began filming videos that address your specific questions about heart valve surgery.

During 2011, we have already traveled to San Diego, New York and Philadelphia to meet with the world's leading heart valve surgeons at conferences including STS, the Mitral Conclave and AATS. Here are several videos to help guide you through the surgical process.

"What Are the Different Types Of Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery?" With Dr. Marc Gillinov, Cleveland Clinic

Video Summary: In this video interview, Dr. Marc Gillinov reviews the different types of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement surgery.

 

"Is It Common To Have Surgery For Multiple Leaking Heart Valves?" With Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Video Summary: In this video interview, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, addresses a patient question about multiple leaky heart valve surgery.

 

"What Are The Key Diagnostic Criteria For Mitral Valve Regurgitation And Aortic Stenosis Using Echocardiography?" With Dr. Randy Martin, Piedmont Heart Hospital

Video Summary: To help patients better understand their echocardiogram results, Dr. Randy Martin, from the Piedmont Heart Institute, reviews the key diagnostic criteria for mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis.

 

"What Is The Oldest Patient To Have Heart Valve Surgery?" With Dr. Steven Bolling, The University of Michigan

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Steven Bolling, Director of the Mitral Valve Program at the University of Michigan, addresses an important question about surgery for elderly patients with severe heart valve disease.

 

"Why Are The New Transcatheter Valve Devices Only Used On 'Inoperable' or 'High-Risk' Patients?" With Dr. Lars Svensson, Cleveland Clinic

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Lars Svensson, Director of the Aorta Program and Quality at the Cleveland Clinic, address the restrictive use of transcatheter valve technologies (e.g. SAPIEN, CoreValve, MitraClip) in patient populations that are 'inoperable' or 'high-risk'.

 

"Is It True That Minimally Invasive Procedures Are Better For Pain & Recovery After Heart Valve Surgery?" With Dr. Kevin Accola, Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute

Video Summary: In this video, leading heart valve surgery, Dr. Kevin Accola, from the Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, address a patient question about pain and recovery associated with minimally invasive, heart valve procedures. 

 

"What Is The Heart Valve Summit?" With Dr. David Adams, Mount Sinai Medical Center

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. David Adams, Chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, introduces our community to the annual Heart Valve Summit - its goals, objective and attendees.

 

"Can A Patient Get A Bicuspid Aortic Valve Repair If An Aortic Aneurysm Is Present?" With Dr. S. Chris Malaisrie, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. S. Chris Malaisrie, cardiac surgeon from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, addresses a patient question about bicuspid aortic valve repair if an aneurysm is present.

 

"Are All Patients Candidates For Robotic Mitral Valve Repair?" With Dr. Harold Roberts, Holy Cross Hospital

Video Summary: Dr. Harold Roberts, from Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, answers a patient question about robotic mitral valve surgery. Specifically, Dr. Roberts helps patients understand those factors that may or may not make robotic surgery a potential surgical approach for mitral valve repair.

 

"Should Asymptomatic Patients Have Heart Valve Surgery?" With Dr. Richard Lee, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Richard Lee, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, addresses a patient questions about the need for surgery even if the patient is not experiencing symptoms.

 

"Is It Possible To Have A MitraClip Inserted After A Mitral Valve Repair Fails?" With Dr. Steven Bolling

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Steven Bolling addresses a patient about failed mitral valve repairs and the MitraClip for severe mitral regurgitaiton.

 

"Why is Mitral Valve Repair Preferred To Mitral Valve Replacement?" Asks Donald

Video Summary: In response to Donald's question, here is a video interview with Dr. David Adams, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, about the reasons why mitral valve repair is clinically preferred to mitral valve replacement. Filmed at the Mitral Conclave in New York City, New York.

 

"How Should I Prepare For Heart Valve Surgery? Can I Exercise? Smoke?" Asks Fred

Video Summary: In response to Fred's question, Dr. Larry Cohn, a cardiac surgeon who has performed over 10,000 procedures at Brigham & Women's Hospital, addresses the appropriate ways that patients may want to prepare for heart valve surgery.

 

"What Should Patients Know About Cardiac Depression? How Can It Be Treated?" Asks Amanda

Video Summary: As many patients are often unaware about cardiac depression after surgery, this interview with Dr. Marc Gillinov, staff surgeon from The Cleveland Clinic, addresses this topic from the surgeon and patient perspective.

 

"What Are The Most Exciting Heart Valve Technologies?" Asks Leslie

Video Summary: As a principal investigator in the latest transcatheter aortic valve replacement trial, we met with Dr. Craig Smith, the Chairman of Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center in New York, to chat about the newest, most exciting technologies for valvular therapy.

 

"Is It Common For Patients To Have Mitral Regurgitation & Atrial Fibrillation?" Asks Donny

Video Summary: The Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, offers patient insights into mitral regurgitation, atrial fibrillation and the Maze Procedure during this video response to Donny.

 

"Can Aortic Stenosis Progress From Moderate To Severe In Just Two Years?" Asks Peter

Video Summary: Dr. Junaid Khan, cardiac surgeon from Alta Bates Medical Center in Oakland, California, addresses the symptoms and progression of aortic stenosis.

 

"Does A Mitral Regurgitation Diagnosis Always Result In Heart Valve Surgery?" Asks Debbie

Video Summary: At the Mitral Conclave, we were able to interview Dr. Kevin Accola, from the Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, to discuss mitral regurgitation and mitral valve surgery.

 

"What Are The Key Indicators You Can Repair An Aortic Valve Versus Replacing It?" Asks Adam

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Lars Svensson, Director of the Aorta Program at the Cleveland Clinic, discusses his approach and results for aortic valve repair. Dr. Svensson also addresses bicuspid aortic valves and the modified David Procedure.

 

"If You Were A Patient, What Advice Would You Give Yourself?" Asks Adam

Video Summary: Dr. Vincent Gaudiani, a cardiac surgeon from Northern California who has performed over 10,000 procedures, offers great patient advice about surgical results and surgeon comfortability.

 

"What About Horse Valve Replacements For Aortic Valve Surgery?" Asks Keith

Video Summary: While pig valves and cow valves are the most common types of tissue valves available, Dr. Allan Stewart, the Director of the Aortic Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the unique advantages of horse valve replacements.

 

"Can Surgeons Use Minimally Invasive Procedures To Fix An Aortic Valve And Aneurysm?" Asks Barbara

Video Summary: Dr. Richard Shemin, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at UCLA Medical Center, addresses whether or not minimally invasive techniques can be used to replace an aortic valve and fix an aneurysm prior to rupture.

 

Special Research Video: "Is It Likely You Will Get A Mitral Valve Repair?" With Dr. Steven Bolling

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Steven Bolling, Director of The Mitral Program from The University of Michigan, discusses new research which evaluates the likelihood that you might receive a mitral valve repair procedure versus a mitral valve replacement.

 

"What Are The Advantages Of Robotic Mitral Valve Repair Surgery?" Asks Adam

Video Summary: While there has been some debate about the use of the Da Vinci Surgical robot for cardiac care, Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic, from The Cleveland Clinic, shares his clinical experience with this unique procedure.

 

"Is It Possible For Patients To Grow Their Own Heart Valves?" Asks Scott

Video Summary: Dr. Marc Gerdisch, from St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, explains the use of Extracellular Matrix for valve tissue growth in procedures like mitral valve repair.

 

"Why Does Atrial Fibrilation Occur After Heart Valve Surgery?" Asks Ted

Video Summary: Atrial fibrillation after open heart surgery is relatively common. In this video, Dr. Niv Ad, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at Inova Heart & Vascular Institute, addresses the reasons and the treatment approaches for atrial fibrillation after surgery.

 

"How Do Surgeons Know If They Can Repair Or Replace A Mitral Valve?" Asks Barbara

Video Summary: Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, a leading heart valve surgeon from Portland, Oregon, discusses the pre-operative studies and guidelines which help surgeons assess the likelihood of mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement.

 

"When Will Open Heart Valve Surgery Be A Bygone Era Due To Transcatheter Valve Therapy?" Asks Dorothy

Video Summary: With the exciting possibilities of transcatheter valve treatments, Dr. Eric Roselli, from The Cleveland Clinic, offers insights into the future of heart valve surgery.

 

Special Interview With Dr. Alain Carpentier, The "Father" of Modern Heart Valve Surgery

Video Summary: In this special video, we hear from Dr. Alain Carpentier, Lasker Award winner, about the past and future of heart valve treatment.

 

"Will My Child Need Additional Surgery After An Early Mitral Valve Repair?" Asks Tamara

Video Summary: Dr. Vaughn Starnes, Chairman of Surgery at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, addresses the ability of mitral valve leaflets to grow and mature with a child after surgery.

 

"How Do I Know If My Surgeon Is Good?"

Video Summary: Assessing your surgeon's skill and track record is critical. In this video, Dr. Jurgen Ennker, a leading surgeon from Germany, discusses the need for surgeons to publish their surgical outcomes.

 

"Is It Possible To Repair A Bicuspid Aortic Valve Into A Tricuspid Aortic Valve?" Asks Sato

Video Summary: In this video, Dr. Lars Svensson, Director of the Aorta Program at The Cleveland Clinic, address a patient question about the anatomical repair of a bicuspid aortic valve due to aortic regurgitation.

 

"Besides Sternal Wires, Are There Other Technologies Used To Help The Chest Heal?" Asks Jane

Video Summary: Dr. Jai Raman, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, discusses the use of rigid fixation, an alternative to sternum wires, to help patients heal from sternotomy and thoracotomy.