Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 4

I am very excited to announce that Baptist Health Paducah just became the newest sponsor of HeartValveSurgery.com.

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New medical advances are transforming the patient recovery from heart surgery.  As a result, patients are experiencing less-to-no pain, staying in the hospital shorter, and getting back to normal activity faster.

To learn about the latest innovations in patient recovery, we interviewed Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Dr. Gerdisch has performed over 6,000 cardiac procedures and successfully treated over 100 patients from our community. Click here to see my interview with Dr. Gerdisch about the Rapid Recovery Protocol 2.0.

 
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As a follow-up to our post, “Ozaki Procedure: New Research for Aortic Valve Patients”, I wanted to share the wonderful patient story of Ray Poole from New York. Ray is an aortic valve patient and chemical engineer who recently underwent the Ozaki Procedure.

Ray Poole (12 Weeks After Ozaki Procedure) with Wife

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While Peloton instructors are known for giving fun and empowering “shout-outs” during their fitness classes… I’m happy to flip-that-script and offer a shout-out to Ally Love, Emma Lovewell, Matt Wilpers, Robin Arzon, and the entire Peloton team for their support of our community!

 
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I just received a great question from Paige about the Ozaki Procedure.  Paige asked me, “Hi, Adam. I’m 29-years-old and I have a bicuspid aortic valve. I also have an aneurysm. I’m thinking about starting a family in the next few years. After meeting with three different cardiac surgeons, I was offered a newer technique as an alternative to a tissue or mechanical valve. That technique is the Ozaki Procedure. What is the latest update about this procedure?”

To learn more, I just interviewed Dr. Douglas Johnston, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, who has performed over 3,000 heart valve repair and replacement operations.  Click here to see my interview with Dr. Johnston about the Ozaki Procedure.

 
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I am very excited to announce that Georgia Heart Institute in Gainesville, Georgia just became the newest sponsor of HeartValveSurgery.com!

 
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Are you ready to go inside the operating room of Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health, to learn about the different “faces” of mitral valve disease?

Click here to see how Dr. Gerdisch treats mitral valve disease using traditional and complex therapies to address malformed leaflets, infection, endocarditis and compromised annular structures. 

 
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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.

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

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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.”

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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!!!

 
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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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[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

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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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.

David Seligman & Andy Dial (Heart Valve Surgery Patients)

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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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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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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.

Dr. Steve Bolling at Medtronic’s Mitral Valve Wet Lab

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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

 
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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.

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

[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.

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