Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 18
12 Surgeons Help Me Film 20 Videos at STS!
By Adam Pick on February 6, 2019
On behalf of our patient community, I want to thank the 12 surgeons who helped me film an educational video series at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting in San Diego. I was really humbled that so many awesome surgeons came together to film videos about heart valve disorders, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease and aortic aneurysms.
Here’s Dr. Vinay Badhwar from WVU Heart & Vascular Institute:
Let’s Go Red for Women!
By Adam Pick on February 1, 2019
If you didn’t know, American Heart Month kicked off today. To get things going, February 1 is always National Wear Red Day in support of the “Go Red for Women” campaign. The goal of this awesome day is to raise awareness to heart disease and unite communities that are fighting for the eradication of heart disease and stroke.
Thanks to the MitraClip, Michele Will Not Need a Heart Transplant!
By Adam Pick on January 24, 2019
Michele’s life was in jeopardy due to heart failure from severe mitral regurgitation. She was so sick, her medical team was evaluating a heart transplant to save her life.
Then, Michele heard about the MitraClip. This is her story…
Surgeon Q&A: What Should Patients Know About Aortic Regurgitation?
By Adam Pick on January 17, 2019
Over the past several months, I’ve noticed a steady rise in the number of patients at the HeartValveSurgery.com community who are diagnosed with aortic regurgitation. That said, I wanted to create new educational resource to help patients with a leaking aortic valve.
Sara Educates & Inspires 38,443 People About Heart Valve Surgery!
By Adam Pick on January 17, 2019
I need to take a quick minute to thank Sara Colosimo for sharing her journey to a healthy heart with our community!!! If you have yet to visit Sara’s Heart Valve Journal, now is your chance.
New Study: Heart Surgery Not Linked to Memory Decline
By Adam Pick on January 17, 2019
Over the years, we’ve had several discussions about cognitive issues following heart surgery. Several patients in our community have complained of “pumphead”. Patients often describe pumphead as forgetfulness and/or memory loss that is potentially attributable to heart-lung machine use during open-heart procedures. At the same time, many patients in our community have not noticed any changes in mental capabilities following heart surgery.
Doctor Q&A: “What Criteria Do Surgeons Use to Choose a Heart Valve Replacement?” asks Peter
By Adam Pick on December 17, 2018
I just received a great question from Peter about heart valve replacement devices. Peter asked me, “Hi Adam – I have moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis and I will need surgery soon. I’m curious to know… How do surgeons select a valve replacement for me? It seems like there are so many choices our there – mechanical, tissue, sutureless valves, that new INSPIRIS valve and TAVR. What are the key criteria the docs use to choose a valve replacement. Can you please ask a surgeon for me? Thanks, Peter”
(Sources: Abbott, Cryolife, Edwards Lifesciences)
“How Do I Know When My AFib Is Gone After Heart Surgery?” asks Linda
By Adam Pick on December 4, 2018
Linda just asked me two GREAT questions about heart valve surgery and atrial fibrillation (AFib). She writes, “Hi Adam, After surgery… How do I know when my AFib is gone? Also, when do patients stop taking blood thinners after AFib is gone following surgery? Thanks! Linda”
New Findings: Mitral Valve Repair Restores Normal Life Expectancy!
By Adam Pick on December 4, 2018
I don’t know about you… But, when I was told that I needed heart surgery… One of my first questions was, “Will heart surgery compromise my expected 76.4 years here on Earth?”
Remembering Fran Zilko (1939 – 2018)
By Adam Pick on December 4, 2018
On behalf of our community… I am sending thoughts, prayers, condolences and love to the family and friends of Fran Zilko. I was soooo very sad to learn that Fran, who had successful aortic valve replacement surgery in 2010, passed away after a fall and issues with her kidneys, lungs and heart. Born in 1939, Fran was a nurse, a wife to Peter, a mother to Christine, Teresa and Stephen, and a grandmother to Michael, Katya and Frances.
“What Happens to Aortic Valve Debris During TAVR?” asks Shripad
By Adam Pick on November 8, 2018
I received a ton of GREAT questions for our recent Ask Adam Anything: Facebook LIVE Sessions at the Heart Valve Summit. One of the questions that I didn’t have time to answer came in from Shripad who asked, “Hi Adam – In the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure (TAVR), what happens to the debris of the old diseased aortic valve which is crushed by the balloon catheter? If the debris cannot be removed, can tiny particles of the debris cause stroke or heart attack? Thanks!”
Before answering Shripad’s question, I thought it would be helpful to show how a TAVR is implanted. As you can see in this video animation, a TAVR device is positioned inside a stenotic aortic valve and then expanded using a balloon. During that expansion, the new aortic valve essentially “smushes” the old valve out of the way. That is why Shripad’s question is so interesting. What happens to the defective leaflets and/or calcium deposits that caused the aortic valve disease?
Dr. Craig Smith Says…
Now that we understand how a TAVR works and why aortic valve debris may occur, let’s answer this very important question.
New MitraClip Research Is A “Game Changer” for Patients!
By Adam Pick on October 30, 2018
Applause, excitement and tears of joy filled the main arena at the 30th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference when the results of the COAPT trial were announced. This unique clinical trial showed that the MitraClip, a transcatheter mitral valve repair device, reduced risks of hospitalization and death in patients with heart failure and secondary mitral regurgitation.
Shortly after the COAPT trial results were announced, I was fortunate to connect with Dr. Mark Ricciardi, a lead implanter of the MitraClip at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Here’s the highlights of my conversation with Dr. Ricciardi.
“Ask Adam Anything” Videos from Facebook LIVE Just Posted!
By Adam Pick on October 15, 2018
In case you missed it… Our first “Ask Adam Anything” video series on Facebook LIVE was amazing!!! So many great questions. So many great answers! To educate and empower you, I just posted the videos with Drs. Bolling, McCarthy and Roselli below, in our Videos section, and in our YouTube channel.
Ask Adam Anything Live at The Heart Valve Summit!
By Adam Pick on October 9, 2018
You’ve got questions! Let me get the answers!
That’s right. Send me your questions about heart valve surgery and I’ll get them answered during our 1st Facebook LIVE sessions at the Heart Valve Summit this Thursday, October 11! Simply EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS to adam@heartvalvesurgery.com or post your questions below.
When Are The Facebook LIVE Sessions?
On Thursday, October 11, we are very lucky to have scheduled three Facebook LIVE sessions during the Heart Valve Summit. I will be joined by Dr. Steve Bolling, Director of the Mitral Valve Program at Michigan Medicine, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Eric Roselli, the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
The agenda for the Facebook LIVE sessions on Thursday, October 11 are:
- 9:00 am CST: Dr. Eric Roselli, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
- 2:30pm CST: Dr. Steve Bolling, Director of the Mitral Valve Program at Michigan Medicine
- 3:30pm CST: Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
This is going to be great. Don’t forget to send your questions to adam@heartvalvesurgery.com.
Keep on tickin!
Adam
Get Your Questions Answered on Facebook Live at the Heart Valve Summit!!!
By Adam Pick on October 8, 2018
Great News Everybody! This Thursday, HeartValveSurgery.com will host our first Facebook Live event. During the live broadcast, YOU CAN ASK YOUR QUESTIONS to the world’s leading surgeons and cardiologists at the Heart Valve Summit in Chicago.
As of now, our featured guests include Dr. Steve Bolling, Director of the Mitral Valve Program at Michigan Medicine, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Eric Roselli, the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
How Can You Join the Facebook Live?
There are 3 ways you can participate in our Facebook Live. First, you can join us at Facebook during our broadcast times. The broadcast times will be posted soon. Second, you can submit your questions directly to me before the event – either at this Facebook post or at adam@heartvalvesurgery.com. Third, all of our broadcasts will be posted at Facebook after the event.
Heart Valve CareLine Helps Save Bob’s Life!
By Adam Pick on October 3, 2018
Bob Taylor was running out of time. His heart valve disease was worsening and his insurance company just denied him a life-saving operation. Then, Bob’s daughter heard about the Heart Valve CareLine. This is Bob’s extraordinary story.
Inside The Operating Room: Dr. Allan Stewart Explains Heart Surgery
By Adam Pick on September 25, 2018
It’s not every day I get a chance to see a world-renowned cardiac surgery operate. So… When Dr. Allan Stewart at HCA Healthcare East Florida invited me into his operating room to observe a mitral valve repair and Maze procedure for atrial fibrillation, I immediately booked a flight and hopped on a plane to Miami. As you can see below, this educational experience was extraordinary!
The “Forgotten” Tricuspid Heart Valve Gets Transcatheter Love
By Adam Pick on September 20, 2018
We’ve talked a lot about transcatheter aortic valve replacement, also known as TAVR. We’ve talked a lot about transcatheter mitral valve repair (e.g. the MitraClip). We’ve also talked about transcatheter mitral valve replacement devices (e.g. Tendyne) that are in clinical trials.
However… We have not spent a lot of time discussing transcatheter tricuspid valve therapies.
Well… I think that is about to change.
Why Did 100 Patients & Care Partners Get a Standing Ovation at Patient Day 2018 at Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine, California?
By Adam Pick on September 17, 2018 - This blog is sponsored by Edwards Lifesciences.
Something special recently happened. More than 100 patients and their care partners traveled to Edwards Lifesciences, a leading heart valve manufacturer in Irvine, California, to meet each other, to share their stories and to inspire action within our community – the heart valve patient community.
This day is appropriately called… Patient Day!!!!!
Luckily, Edwards hired us to film the wonderful moments of this unique event that included meet-and-greets with the heart valve assembly teams, panel and group discussions, a campus and manufacturing tour and more. One of my favorite parts of the day was watching patients meet the Edwards employees who made their valves by hand.
Ready to see what happened at Patient Day 2018? Watch the video below…
Heart Surgery Innovation: Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery Evolves with Percutaneous Cannulation
By Adam Pick on September 11, 2018
There are LOTS of great advances happening in the treatment of heart valve disease. Many of those technological breakthroughs enable cardiologists and surgeons to perform life-saving procedures with smaller-and-smaller incisions.
As you might recall, one of the big breakthroughs in valve therapy was the FDA approval of the da Vinci Surgical System to perform robotic mitral valve repair procedures for patients with mitral valve regurgitation in 2002. Since then, we have collectively learned a lot about robotic surgery from leading clinicians including Drs. Chitwood, Trento, Gillinov, Mihaljevic and Badhwar.
Recently, I’ve received several great questions about robotic mitral valve surgery. For that reason, I felt it was time to get an update about robotic technology. I wanted an expert opinion, so I reached out Dr. T. Sloane Guy. Dr. Guy is a robotic specialist that has helped many patients from our patient community. Here are the highlights from our recent exchange.
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