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.
Fran with Peter
“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
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