Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 15

Woo-Whoo!!! Today is National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day! Let’s join together to raise awareness to this under-diagnosed, under-treated and deadly form of heart disease!!!

To get started… Here are several amazing men and women in our community who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of healthy heart valves.

Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy (Mount Sinai Hospital) & Adam Pick

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Great news!  As we continue to celebrate “Heart Month”, I am very happy to share that the Facebook LIVE videos from the “Ask Adam Anything” patient event have been posted below!

As you might recall… These Facebook LIVE sessions were filmed in direct response to patient questions submitted at HeartValveSurgery.com, our Facebook Page and by email.  In total, I received over 150 patient questions about heart valve disease.   

To answer your questions,  I met with world-renowned surgeons, cardiologists and researchers at the Heart Valve Society Conference in Abu Dhabi.  Our expert panel included Dr. Rakesh Suri (Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi), Dr. Martin Leon (Columbia University), Dr. Vinod Thourani (Piedmont Health), Dr. Hanneke Takkenberg (Erasmus University), Dr. Marc Gillinov (Cleveland Clinic), and Dr. James Thomas (Northwestern Medicine).

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You’ve got questions!  Let me get the answers!

That’s right.  Simply email me your questions about heart valve disease and/or treatment. I’ll get them answered by expert surgeons and cardiologists at the Heart Valve Society Conference during our Facebook LIVE sessions this Saturday. You can email your questions to adam@heartvalvesurgery.com or post your questions below.

 
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First, he suffered a massive heart attack.  Then, he was diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation.  He struggled to breathe. He was afraid.

Then… David Lugo, a father and mechanic from Chicago, heard about the COAPT clinical trial offered at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  This unique research study investigated how the MitraClip could help patients like David.  This is his story.

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Toni just sent me a very important question about breast cancer, radiation therapy and heart valve replacements.  Toni asked me, “Hi Adam – I have an artificial mitral valve.  I just found out that I have breast cancer.  Will radiation hurt my new valve replacement? Thanks, Toni”

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Many thanks to Phyllis and Catie for letting me know about the notification issue they recently experienced when using our Community!

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I just received a fascinating question from Shae about leadless pacemakers and leaking heart valves.

Shae asked me, “Hi Adam – I previously had a mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve repair. I currently have a 7-year old pacemaker that is causing my tricuspid valve to leak. My electrophysiologist doctor has been talking to me about “leadless” pacemakers. I don’t know much about leadless pacers. The doctor says there is a 50/50 chance that a leadless pacemaker will correct my leaking valve. Is that correct? I don’t want to go through another valve replacement surgery as I am only 43 years old. Thanks, Shae”

Leadless Pacemaker (Medtronic)
 

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Thanks to John O’Neill, the new year could not have started any better for our community.

That’s right!  John, who was diagnosed with severe aortic regurgitation, had successful aortic valve replacement last week.  It’s interesting to note that John had a bicuspid aortic valve and was completely asymptomatic. It was also great to hear that John caught the disease as his left ventricle had already started to enlarge.  Yikes!

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Woo-Whoo! 2019 was another AMAZING year for our community!

The past 12 months was full of patient education, patient inspiration, patient empowerment and patient advocacy.  Thanks to your wonderful support, the stories posted here were shared over 100,000 times across social media.  That means you helped raise awareness to millions of people about heart valve disease, a fatal disorder that is under-diagnosed and under-treated.  Thank you!!!

 
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With the FDA approval of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for low-risk patients, people everywhere are wondering whether-or-not TAVR is right for them.

Jim Whitney, from Chicago, Illinois, is a perfect example.  Diagnosed with aortic stenosis, Jim had been in “watchful waiting” for five years.  Recently, Jim found himself completely out-of-breath as he ran to catch a train.  He knew it was time for surgery.  Jim pressed his surgeon, Dr. Chris Malaisrie, an aortic valve specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, for a non-invasive TAVR.

Did Jim get a TAVR?  Or,  did Jim get a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR)?  What should you know about TAVR and SAVR?  Watch this video to learn more.

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It is hard to believe that 14 years ago this Saturday, December 21, 2005, I was being rolled into an operating room for my heart valve surgery at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles.

As I sit and reflect on the past 14 years, I take a deep breath.  I take another deep breath. I then stare at my monitor, hands on keyboard and wait for my fingertips to start tip-tip-tapping away.

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I guess you could say that I’m somewhat addicted to our Peloton bike.

In this community… I’m not alone.  After sharing this post, I heard from many of you about our mutual love for this fitness craze.

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My inbox is filling up with great questions about mitral valve disease and treatment.  Lisa is asking about minimally invasive surgery and pain.  Barbara asked me about the use of drugs to treat mitral valve disease and heart failure.  And… Charles wants to know about cardiac rehab after mitral valve surgery.

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I just received a great question from Mario about heart function, potential symptoms and high altitudes.  In his email, Mario asked me, “Hi Adam – I have a question about my heart. I just got back from Lake Tahoe, California.  I was in the casino and noticed that I was getting short of breath.  Is altitude something I should worry about?  Does altitude impact heart valve function?  Thanks!  Mario”.

 
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For heart surgery patients, one of the scary and dislocating thoughts associated with the operation is… having your sternum broken.

Personally, I remember holding my chest as Dr. Starnes explained the procedure. First, my breast bone would be “separated.” (I think that was a kind way of saying that my sternum would be cracked.) Then, my heart would be opened. Next, my valves would be replaced. Finally, Dr. Starnes would use wires to secure my sternum.

“Wires?” I thought to myself, “How on Earth are wires going to keep my sternum stable?”

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Wow!  It appears that all of the patient and the clinical trial success of the MitraClip is having a significant impact on Abbott’s manufacturing plans for the transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) device that some patients are calling the “Miracle Clip”.

The MitraClip

Last week… Abbott, the manufacturer of the MitraClip, announced that it will be opening a new $37 million manufacturing plant in Westfield, Indiana.

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The favorite part of my work as a patient advocate is connecting with the wonderful patients in our community.

That said, I recently met Jim Jones, a financial consultant from Maine, who had a mitral valve repair procedure.  Six years after surgery, I am happy to share Jim’s thoughts and pictures about his surgical experience and his love of track-and-field.

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I just received a great question form Mort about exercise, biking and heart valve durability.  Mort asked me, “Adam, Will long distance bicycle riding – approximately 12 hours a week – prematurely wear out an aortic or mitral valve replacement made from porcine tissue?”

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In case you missed the big news…

W.L. Gore & Associates recently announced the acquisition of Pipeline Medical Technologies Inc. So you know, Pipeline manufactures a transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) device that was founded by Dr. Steven Bolling, the Director of the Mitral Valve Program at Michigan Medicine and a long-time supporter of HeartValveSurgery.com.

Dr. Steven Bolling (Pipeline Founder)

In addition to its acquisition, I learned from Dr. Bolling that Pipeline just completed a “First-In-Man” implant of its TMVR solution. To learn more about Pipeline, I called Dr. Bolling.

Here are four highlights from my interview with Dr. Bolling:

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Bill Legard is a very active 59-year old.  He’s a skydiver, a pilot, an entrepreneur and Bill makes parachutes for a living.  On a recent hike in Indonesia, Bill struggled with shortness of breath. His cardiologist diagnosed Bill with severe aortic stenosis, a life-threatening form of heart valve disease.

Considering his active lifestyle, Bill struggled with his valve replacement options.  Then, Bill heard about the INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve from Edwards Lifesciences that is helping so many patients in our community.  This is Bill’s story.

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