Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

I just received a GREAT question from Fred about patient prosthesis mismatch. Fred asked me, “Hi Adam – I need an aortic valve replacement and I have been reading about prosthesis mismatch. What, if anything, can I do to avoid this complication?”

To provide Fred an expert answer to his question, I just interviewed Dr. Douglas Johnston, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. During his extraordinary career, Dr. Johnston has performed over 3,000 heart valve operations. Click here to see my interview with Dr. Johnston about Patient Prosthesis Mismatch.

Many thanks to Dr. Doug Johnston for educating our patient community about the patient prosthesis mismatch!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Aortic stenosis is a life-threatening disease that is under-diagnosed and under-treated. In fact, the survival rate is just 50% at two years for patients diagnosed with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. To make matters worse, only 3.4% of patients that receive non-invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are Hispanic.

How and why is Medtronic, a leading manufacturer of TAVR devices, taking big steps to treat more Hispanic patients like Mrs. Julia Garcia? Click this link to find out.

 
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In case you missed the breaking news… Juwan Howard, Michigan basketball coach and former NBA all-star, just announced that he had successful aortic valve and aneurysm surgery by Dr. Himanshu Patel at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Click here to learn the details of Juwan Howard’s aortic valve and aneurysm heart surgery. 

Many thanks to Dr. Himanshu Patel and the University of Michigan Health System for taking such great care of Juwan Howard.

Keep on tickin’ Juwan!
Adam

Given all the patient interest in robotic mitral valve repair surgery, I thought you might like to see this new research update from the Cleveland Clinic. As you will learn in this special “Surgeon Roundtable” with Dr. Marc Gillinov and Dr. Daniel Burns, the Cleveland Clinic has now completed over 2,000 robotic mitral valve operations.

What should you know about patient outcomes, patient advantages and patient considerations for robot-assisted mitral valve repair operations? Click here to get the answer from Dr. Gillinov and Dr. Burns. 

Many thanks to Dr. Gillinov and Dr. Burns for sharing all their research and clinical experiences with our patient community!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Lee just asked me, “Hi Adam – I’ve had three aortic valve replacements and valve repair plus an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. All functions are good currently, but AFib persists 3.2% of the time. After oral surgery and a ruptured vein causing a hematoma, I had to defer Eliquis to control bleeding. My current cardiologist thinks I should consider the Watchman procedure as a safety measure. What have you heard about that procedure?”

Click here to get the answer to Lee’s question from Dr. Marc Gerdisch, a world renowned surgeon who has performed over 4,000 heart valve surgeries.

Many thanks to Dr. Gerdisch for educating our patient community the Watchman, atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Woo-Hoo!!! For the fifth time since launching HeartValveSurgery.com, I am very happy to share that our community has sponsored a life-saving cardiac surgery for a child with heart disease.

Mohammed, 14, Heart Valve Patient

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I just received a great question from Alexandra about simultaneous mitral valve and tricuspid valve surgery. Alexandra asked me, “Hi Adam, All the data I’ve seen measures outcomes for mitral valve repair alone. Have you seen any data on survival and durability rates for patients undergoing mitral and tricuspid valve repair surgery?”

To answer this important question, I was fortunate to connect with Dr. Robert Smith, Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Baylor Scott & White – The Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas. Click here to see my interview with Dr. Robert Smith about survival, durability and long-term outcomes for mitral and tricuspid valve repair surgery.

 
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It should be no secret.

Patients with heart valve disease are 35% more likely to have atrial fibrillation. And… Patients with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke. The big question we need to ask is, “What is being done to help patients reduce stroke risk?”

To answer that question, we interviewed Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Executive Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine. Doctor McCarthy is a heart valve and atrial fibrillation expert. Click here to see my interview with Dr. McCarthy about stroke risk reduction, atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease.

 
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Dear Patients & Friends,

After receiving several wonderful emails from patients about the post, “After Heart Surgery, I Have A New Scuba Buddy”, I wanted to share a quick update from a recent Scuba dive with Ethan, my 14-year-old son who just got certified.

The conditions of the dive, which was at Catalina Island near Los Angeles, were immaculate. Visibility, the distance a diver can see underwater, may have been 100+ feet. It was as if Ethan and I were swimming in the world’s largest aquarium. We were very lucky. Our awesome dive guide, Garrett from Catalina Scuba, captured this special, underwater experience with the picture below.

Adam and Ethan Pick Scuba Diving (Catalina Island)

 
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I just received a great question from Peter who asked me, “I was diagnosed with aortic valve regurgitation. Can this procedure be done safely using minimally invasive techniques? What questions should I ask to figure out if the surgeon has enough experience and expertise?”

To provide Peter (and you) an expert response, I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Hiroo Takayama, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, during the American Association for Thoracic Surgery conference. To see my interview with Dr. Hiroo Takayama about minimally invasive aortic valve repair surgery, please click here.

Many thanks to Dr. Hiroo Takayama for sharing his clinical experiences and research with our patient community specific to minimally invasive aortic valve repair surgery.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Medical innovations are quickly transforming the patient experience specific to heart valve surgery.  For example, the utility of robot-assisted, mitral valve surgery has gained significant momentum as an effective minimally-invasive option during the past 5 years.

Now, new innovations are helping patients accelerate recovery and restore normal life expectancy.  What should you know about new cardiac advances including percutaneous cannulation and cryotherapy?  Click here to get the answer from Dr. T. Sloane Guy, Director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery at Georgia Heart Institute in Gainesville, Georgia. 

Many thanks to Dr. T. Sloane Guy and the entire Georgia Heart Institute team for taking great care of heart valve patients!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

I am LOVING all the great food recipes and ideas that are being posted in our online Community!  In case you missed it, here are a few posts from the Patient News Feed.

Cathleen was one of the first patients to post with her colorful Avocado Smash Egg Toast recipe.  She shared, “I love creating healthy comfort food for the heart. The more colorful your meal the more likely it is to be healthy. I hope you all like food posts! I created this long ago and I make it all the time! I had it today for breakfast!”

Cathleen’s Avocado Smash Egg Toast

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As many of you know, I loved Scuba diving before heart valve surgery.  Thankfully… My heart surgeon, Dr. Vaughn Starnes, cleared me to Scuba dive after my Ross Procedure.

One of the key ingredients for a safe dive is having a trustworthy “buddy”.  You never know what can happen underwater. So, having a certified buddy swimming next to you always helps mitigate any potential risks.  That said, I am happy to report that Ethan, my 14-year old son, recently got certified. So, Ethan is my new, lifelong Scuba buddy. 🙂

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As heart valve disease and aortic aneurysms can progress at different rates, I received a great question from Brad about the different tests used to time surgery. Brad wrote to me, “Hi Adam, I have been unexpectedly diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve and an aneurysm. My doctor told me I will probably need surgery in the next few years but was vague about when that would be. As you might imagine, I’m a little stressed out and worrying about the future. Are there any specific test results that will tell me when I should have surgery?”

To answer that question, I interviewed Dr. Ibrahim Sultan, who is a leading aortic valve and aneurysm specialist at UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Click here to see my interview with Dr. Sultan about the tests used to time bicuspid aortic valve and aneurysm surgery.

Many thanks to Dr. Ibrahim Sultan for sharing his clinical experiences and research with our patient community!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

If there is one thing that heart surgery has taught me… It is to “stop and smell the roses”.

I know that may sound cliche but it is 100% accurate.  Prior to surgery, I struggled being present to all the wonderful things that life has to offer.  So, in this second chance at life, I am committed to slowing down, being more available to those around me, and having fun with new hobbies.  One of those hobbies is gardening.  I started with roses. Now, I’m into vegetables.

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It’s my favorite part of running this website… Hearing from all the wonderful patients in our community! For example, I just received a fantastic email from Michele Marcus after our recent webinar.

Michele Marcus (Heart Valve Patient)

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Amazing!

During our recent webinar, “The Lifetime Management of Heart Valve Disease”, I received 46 patient questions that we did not have time to answer during the live event.  Imagine my surprise when Dr. Doug Johnston, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Medicine and the featured speaker of the webinar, typed up answers to each patient question and asked me to post them to help educate our patient community. Downright wonderful!
 
 

 

Question 1: Lisa asks, “My son has congenital aortic valve stenosis and had a bovine replacement 5 years ago at 28 years old. Will he be able to have valve in valve or easier surgery?”

In cases like this, we would usually look at the echocardiogram, CT, and the operative report to determine. 1 What size and type of valve is in place, and 2. what the size and shape of the root is. In many cases valve in valve will be an option. Redo surgery sometimes is a better option in younger patients depending on whether we are able to implant a bigger or newer generation valve. — Dr. Doug Johnston

 
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[Saturday, July 29, 2023 Update: Our webinar, “The Lifetime Management of Heart Valve Disease”, was amazing!!! You can now watch a video playback or download a FREE eBook from this special event with Dr. Johnston and Dr. Logan at this link.]

Wow!  The patient response to our webinar, “The Lifetime Management of Heart Valve Disease”, has been amazing!  We now have over 700 patients registered for today’s special webinar at 6pm EST.

Here’s more good news… You have a few more hours to sign-up!

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I’m receiving lots of excellent patient questions about the Ross Procedure.

For example… Tim, a patient from the United Kingdom, just asked me, “Hi Adam – Congrats on a great website! I have a question about the Ross Procedure. Do you know if it is possible to do the Ross Procedure if there is mild leaking of the pulmonary valve? I know mild leaking of the pulmonary valve is very common. Thanks!”

 
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Is it true that coronary artery disease impacts up to 27% of heart valve patients? Can coronary artery disease cause life-threatening conditions including heart attacks? Is it possible for surgeons to use minimally-invasive techniques to treat both coronary artery disease and heart valve defects in one operation?

To answer these important questions, I just interviewed Dr. Husam Balkhy, the Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery at University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Watch my interview with Dr. Balkhy to learn critical information about coronary artery disease and heart valve disorders at this link.

Many thanks to Dr. Husam Balkhy for taking the time to share his clinical experiences with our community!

Keep on tickin!
Adam