Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 4

Medical Advances: The Y-Incision Annular Enlargement Procedure

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: June 7, 2023

Patients needing an aortic valve replacement due to stenosis, regurgitation and/or a bicuspid aortic valve might be shocked to learn new research that heart valve replacement devices may not be properly sizes when implanted during surgery. As a result, the patient may not get the full benefit of a properly sized heart valve and the patient may need an accelerated reoperation due to device failure.

For these important reasons, Dr. Bo Yang, a leading cardiac surgeon at Michigan Medicine, developed the Y-Incision Annular Enlargement Procedure. I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Yang about his new, novel approach to helping patients. Click here to see my interview with Dr. Yang about the Y-Incision Annular Enlargement Procedure.

 

Y-Incision Annular Enlargement Procedure with Dr. Bo Yang

 

Many thanks to Dr. Yang for developing and educating our patient community about the Y-Incision Annular Enlargement Procedure!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Surgeon Spotlight: Dr. Marc Gillinov Receives 100 Patient Testimonials!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: June 5, 2023

I am excited and honored to announce that Dr. Marc Gillinov just received his 100th patient testimonial from patients in the HeartValveSurgery.com community!

Dr. Gillinov is the Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He is one of the most committed, dedicated and patient-centric heart surgeons I know.  So you know, Dr. Gillinov was one of the first surgeons to support and encourage the educational initiatives of HeartValveSurgery.com.  I’ll never forget our first meeting when Dr. Gillinov said to me, “Adam, I really appreciate how you are helping patients. Education is critical for patients with heart valve disease.”

 

Dr. Marc Gillinov Patient Reviews

 

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URGENT: Will You Please Help Heart Valve & AFib Patients?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: June 1, 2023

Help! Please! It’s Urgent!

If you didn’t know, patients with heart valve disease are up to 35% more likely to experience atrial fibrillation (AFib) which can increase their stroke risk by 5 times, according to the American Heart Association. Unfortunately, AFib is not treated in up to 70% of heart valve procedures. Yikes!!!

 

Big Medicare Problem - Heart Valve & Atrial Fibrillation
 
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Free eBook & Webinar Video: Ask Dr. Gerdisch Anything!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Franciscan Health
Published: May 27, 2023

Our recent webinar, “Ask Dr. Gerdisch Anything”, was amazing! During the webinar, Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health, answered patient questions in a unique interactive format that we have never done before.

You can now access all the insights shared during the webinar via video and a free eBook.

 

 
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Join 400 Patients Live for the “Ask Dr. Gerdisch Anything” Webinar This Thursday!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 25, 2023

[May 25, 2023 Update: The “Ask Dr. Gerdisch Anything” webinar was fantastic!  In case you missed it, you can now watch the webinar video playback at this link.]

Given all the advances in heart valve disease therapy, patients can be confused about their diagnosis and their treatment options. For this reason, we are hosting a special FREE and LIVE webinar that will provide you a unique opportunity to ask your questions to Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health. Dr. Gerdisch is a world-renowned expert who has performed over 4,000 heart valve operations.

This is going to be great! I look forward to seeing you on this interactive webinar!

Keep on tickin,
Adam

“What About Risk, Mortality & Age?” asks Mark

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Marc Gerdisch, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Franciscan Health
Published: May 18, 2023

At the recent Mitral Conclave conference, I received a great question from Mark about heart valve surgery risk, mortality and age. In his email, Mark asked me, “Hi Adam, I am 87 years old. I’ve had an aortic valve replacement in July. I then needed a MitraClip in October. Now, I have been diagnosed with severe mitral valve regurgitation again. I am investigating less-invasive surgical treatments. I feel like I’m a walking time bomb. Do you have any data on mortality for age groups?”

To answer Mark’s question, I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Marc Gerdisch, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, who has successfully treated over 125 patients in our community. Here’s the highlights from our discussion.

 

 
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Andy & David Transform Heart Surgery Into Brotherhood!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 17, 2023

The patient stories in our Community never cease to amaze and inspire me. For example, this is the story of Andy Dial and David Seligman.

 

Heart Valve Patients ConnectDavid Seligman & Andy Dial (Heart Valve Surgery Patients)

 

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Surgeon Insights: Advanced Surgical Techniques for Aortic Valve Reoperations with Dr. Roselli

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Eric Roselli, MD, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery, Cleveland Clinic
Published: May 18, 2023

The idea of a “one-and-done” operation to fix heart valve disease is beyond attractive. However, the reality is that many patients with valvular defects may need two or more operations throughout their lifetime. For that reason, it is critical that patients and their medical teams establish a long-term plan for the management of valvular diseases including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

To learn the advanced techniques that world-renowned surgeons use to best position aortic valve patients for multiple operations, I interviewed Dr. Eric Roselli, the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. As you may know, Dr. Roselli is a wonderful supporter of HeartValveSurgery.com who has performed successful operations on many patients in our community including Pamela Gregory and Tim Traub.

 

 
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Surgeon Q&A: Why Is The AATS Mitral Conclave So Important for Patients?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 8, 2023

Last week at the AATS Mitral Conclave in New York City, the world’s leading mitral valve experts connected for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This conference was downright amazing and I was lucky to attend.

I felt even more lucky when I had a special opportunity to interview Dr. David Adams, a Program Director of the AATS Mitral Conclave and the Cardiac Surgeon-in-Chief at the Mount Sinai Health System. So you know, Dr. Adams is a mitral valve guru who performs over 400 mitral valve surgeries per year. Watch this video with Dr. Adams to learn why the AATS Mitral Conclave is so important for you and your heart.

 

 
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Inside Access: The Medtronic Mitral Valve Wet Lab at the AATS Mitral Conclave

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 6, 2023

At the recent AATS Mitral Conclave in New York City, the world’s leading mitral valve surgeons gathered to learn the newest and most trusted surgical techniques for the management and treatment of mitral valve disease. There were over 45 educational sessions at the AATS Mitral Conclave that included lectures, debates, case presentations and break-out sessions.

 

Medtronic Mitral Valve Repair Wet LabDr. Steve Bolling at Medtronic’s Mitral Valve Wet Lab

 

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Mitral Valve Experts Connect Live At The AATS Mitral Conclave in New York City!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 4, 2023

Yes!!! For the first time since COVID-19 began, the world’s leading mitral valve surgeons are connecting in-person at the AATS Mitral Conclave in New York City from May 4 to May 5. During this special event, over 1,000 healthcare professionals from 50 countries gather to discuss the latest advances for the management and treatment of mitral valve disease and related cardiac disorders including atrial fibrillation.

 

Dr. David Adams Mitral ConclaveDr. David Adams

 
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New Ross Procedure Research for Aortic Valve Patients To Consider

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 4, 2023

Given my experience with the Ross Procedure, I continue to get lots of great patient questions about this advanced form of aortic valve replacement.  Patients often ask me about the durability of the Ross Procedure, the life expectancy of the Ross Procedure, and what happens if a reoperation is needed in the future.

For that reason, I just interviewed Dr. Bill Brinkman, a leading cardiac surgeon at Baylor, Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano, about new research that his team just published about the Ross Procedure. Click here to see my video interview with Dr. Brinkman about new Ross Procedure research.

 

Ross Procedure Research with Dr. William Brinkman

 

Thanks Dr. Brinkman & Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano!

Many thanks to Dr. Brinkman for taking the time to share his clinical experiences and research with our patient community.  And, many thanks to Baylor, Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano for taking such great care of heart valve surgery patients!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Take the TAVR Patient Survey!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page last updated: May 8, 2023

[Update: Thanks to the incredible response from heart valve patients in our community, the enrollment in our TAVR Patient Experience Survey is now closed. To participate in future patient surveys, please sign up to my newsletter. That way, you will be the first to be notified about our patient surveys. Thanks!!!]

Can I ask you for a quick favor? To help future patients, I want to learn more about the experiences of aortic valve patients who already had transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or are thinking about getting TAVR in the future.

 

TAVR Patient Survey

 

That said, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about TAVR! If you previously had TAVR or if you may get TAVR in the future, will you please take my new survey?

> Take the TAVR Patient Survey!

Keep on tickin,

Adam Pick
Patient Advocate

Free eBook & Video: Advances in Mitral Valve Therapy

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: April 19, 2023

Our recent webinar, “Advances in Mitral Valve Therapy”, was fantastic!  Patients from all over the wold connected online for this educational event with Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Chair of Cardiac Surgery, and Dr. Dominic Emerson, Director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

You can now access all of the new medical insights shared during the webinar via a free eBook.

 

Advances in Mitral Valve Therapy
 
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Mitral Valve Awareness: Mara Dances Past Mitral Valve Surgery!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: April 13, 2023

It is downright wonderful to receive so many enthusiastic patient emails about “Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week“.

First, I shared Howard’s story. This time, I am happy to share Mara Katz’s journey to a healthy heart.

 

Mitral Valve Surgery Patient Dancing

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Mitral Valve Awareness: A Stethoscope Led to Howard’s Life-Saving Surgery

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: April 11, 2023

Within minutes of announcing the launch of Mitral Valve Awareness Disease Week, my inbox started to receive great patient stories in response to this global initiative.

For example, this email from Howard Powders really demonstrates the insidious nature of mitral valve disease. As you read Howard’s story, please consider that patients with severe mitral valve disease – who do not get treatment – have a mortality rate of 20% after one year and 50% after 5 years.

 

Mitral Valve Surgery PatientHoward & Erlinda Powders

 
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“Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week” Launches to Save Lives!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: April 10, 2023

The health risks and concerns specific to mitral valve disease are downright scary.

How scary? Watch this video to find out why we’re launching a global campaign, known as “Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week”, to raise awareness and encourage effective treatment of this deadly disease.

 

 
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Mitral Valve Awareness: What is Mitral Valve Disease?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Pavan Atluri, MD, Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery at Penn Medicine
Published: April 10, 2023

There is a fundamental lack of awareness to mitral valve disease. In addition, mitral valve disease is significantly under-treated. Sadly, mitral valve disease is also deadly.

For these critical reasons, we are launching “Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week” to raise awareness to this very debilitating and insidious type of heart disease.  In this video, Dr. Pavan Atluri, a leading mitral valve surgeon at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shares important insights about the symptoms, the causes and the risks of mitral valve disease.

 

 
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Mitral Valve Awareness: How Is Mitral Valve Disease Treated?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Expert: Joanna Chikwe, MD, Chair of Cardiac Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Published: April 11, 2023

There is “bad news” and “good news” specific to mitral valve disease treatment.  The bad news is that only 15% of mitral valve patients get treatment.  The good news is that mitral valve disease treatment is safe, effective and can restore normal life expectancy.

As this is Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week, we want to help you become aware of mitral valve disease and the different types of treatments available to patients. For this reason, we just interviewed Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, to learn about the different therapeutic approaches for fixing a defective mitral valve.

 

 
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Mitral Valve Awareness: Top 5 Considerations for Mitral Valve Surgery Patients

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Medical Experts: Michael Acker, MD, Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery; Michael Ibrahim, MD, Director, Mitral and Reconstructive Valve Surgery, at Penn Medicine
Published: April 12, 2023

When patients learn they need mitral valve surgery, patients may become confused about their surgical options, timing the procedure, selecting their medical team, and developing a lifelong plan for the management of mitral valve disease.

During Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week, we want to help patients better understand the important considerations for mitral valve therapy.  For that reason, I hosted a “Surgeon Roundtable” with Dr. Michael Acker and Dr. Michael Ibrahim, two leading mitral valve surgeons from Penn Medicine Heart and Vascular Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

 
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